The Other Ancestor
by melvick462
Summary: Caroline Archer is normal, as far as she knows. She knew that she had run away from the strangeness of the Animus and the ongoing battle between the Assassins and the Templars. When she gets pulled back in, her life is flipped. Back into the Animus, back into the battle. Through her ancestor, Atronia Auditore, she learns that the battle isn't as important as she once thought...
1. Prologue

It was not even close to expecting Warren Vidic to show up at my door.

I was sitting in my living room, watching the news. It was a Saturday night, I had just got back from my job at the local police station.

Kicking off my shoes, I flopped onto the couch, feeling my tense muscles finally relax. My body sank into the soft cushions of the sofa, and just as I turned the television on, the room lit up. After a few short minutes of weather and traffic reports, there was a knock at my door. Annoyance plastered on my face, I got up, walking towards the door of my apartment. I slid up to the window, checking to see who it was. No one was there. I hesitantly opened the door to see a figure standing there right in front of me. I glanced behind him, trying to figure out where he could've come from. Then I actually looked at his face.

"Hello, Caroline Archer," he greeted. I jumped back in surprise. There was the name. There was a name I hadn't heard in five years.

"Warren?" I exclaimed. He gave me a smirk and I slammed the door in his face. Back against the door, I began to plan my escape. There was no way I was going back, no way I was getting involved again. No more assassins. No more Templars.

I sprinted across my apartment in my socks, slipped on my running shoes and jumped out the back door. Men in gray Abstergo uniforms began to swarm the block.

I ran through my backyard and flipped over the fence, ran a few blocks without breaking a sweat. I landed in a trap and was caught by Abstergo, placed in a machine and called good. I was a prisoner to the Templars. Every day I'd try to escape. Whether it be planning, attempting or killing, I never stopped. It's not my fault I was born into this wretched, corrupted world as an enemy of the Templars, an assassin.

The first phase of this new journey was Desmond Miles. He walked in like a relieving flood. Without him, I don't know what would've become of me. I had met him at the Farm before he ran away. We were best friends. The day he arrived was the strangest…

"Who are you?" I asked as he walked into my room, the day he arrived.

"This is Desmond Miles, Caroline. Don't murder him," Warren instructed, giving me a sarcastic smile. I narrowed my eyes in return, glancing from Vidic to Desmond, who gave me a blank stare, "I'll leave you two to it." With that, Warren left the room. Desmond continued to stare at me blankly.

"Well?" I questioned. He finally decided to say something.

"Where the hell am I?" he said. I chuckled at his lack of knowledge.

"You're in Abstergo, kid, and you'll be desperate to get out as soon as they put you in the Animus," I replied, brushing past him.

"I'm pretty sure they just took me out of it," the former bartender murmured, squinting and looking around, dazed. I gave him a half smile.

We started off in the Third Crusade. Samira Sami and Altair Ibn La'Ahad were our ancestors, so we played around and ended up finding a strange object, the Apple of Eden, or a Piece of Eden. Sadly, one of many pieces. The artifact interested me greatly, but nothing was too extravagant until I had the dream.

I was having probably the worst sleep of my life. Restless dreams, waking up in the middle of the night. But one dream interested me most. There was darkness, then light. A figure stood in front of me. I recognized her immediately. She was tall, broad shoulders. A white hood concealed her face from view. Strong arms were covered by white sleeves. A vambrace hiding a blade covered her left forearm. Her left ring finger was missing. It looked as if it were removed on purpose. Her blue eyes pierced mine from under the hood.

Samira Sami, my ancestor, walked straight towards me, "Caroline Archer, my descendant," there was an awkward silence. She finally began to take off her vambrace, "I give you my hidden blade. You must know, you and Desmond are in grave danger. Abstergo isn't your main problem." These words didn't make sense to me. When I woke up, Samira's hidden blade was sitting on the nightstand next to me, but the phrase that echoed in my head was the most confusing, "Don't trust the gods. You are the only true guardian."

There was something Warren wasn't telling me, not that it surprised me. Although, the more curious I got, the more danger I found myself in.

Florence (Firenze) - 1467

Ezio Auditore da Firenze is eight years old. Living in a family of nobility, he loves life (with the constant help of Federico, his brother, to brighten it). His happy living was completely flipped from happiness and joy to confusion in a mere hour. That's the day Atronia showed up.

"Ezio!" his mother called from the first floor. The boy intentionally ignored the call, knowing quite well he would get in trouble. But that was the daily routine, Ezio got in trouble somehow every single day (again, with the constant help of Federico).

"Ezio, you don't want to wait, this time, it's important," his older brother said from the doorway. Ezio turned, his brother looked strangely concerned. He got up from his chair and followed his brother, down the wooden stairs of the Auditore household and into the foyer. He followed eagerly, only to see something that created a deep distraction in Ezio's original line of thought.

"Boys, this is Atronia, your new sister," Maria Auditore said with a smile. A young girl stood beside her, hands folded in front. She had short brown hair with an age of around six years. Her head was down, shyness emanating off her. Her blue eyes flicked from Ezio to Federico, then back to the floor.

Ezio continued to study her with a confused expression. Federico, however, greeted her warmly. He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, bending to her height, "Welcome sister!" Although, the other brother chose to take this personal. With a glare, he stomped up the stairs, away from his new sister.

He remained angry for a few years, refusing to look on her with kindness. Even Claudia had warmed up to her. Atronia had grown to be a true Auditore, but Ezio had denied it. She'd ruined his life by taking away his brother, but of course, Ezio was being overdramatic, it's just who he was. He didn't realize what a blessing she was for a few years…

Atronia is eleven and is walking down the streets of Firenze after her daily visit to the pond. Her day has been exquisite, she'd eaten at the Auditore house, run to the market and visited a small pond that lingered behind of a book shop. She visited the shop every day, reading a few chapters of an interesting book. The shop owner adored her and never ceased to let her read. She as much as she could.

This particular trip was the most interesting for Atronia. She had found a somewhat likable book that she even took home with her. She was as happy as could be. But her day was shot down as she tripped over a purposely placed foot. Her basket went flying, the items she had bought spilling onto the stone streets of Firenze.

"Forgive me, little lady," a boy said with a sarcastic smile, turning towards her. Atronia looked up at him, a scowl covering her face.

"Vieri, I should've known," she snapped, getting up and brushing off her dress. She didn't know at the time that Vieri meant to harm her. He began to approach her slowly. Atronia looked confusedly at Vieri, backing away at his pace. To her surprise, he swung a punch at her face. The impact caused her to fly back and drag on the ground. He moved forward, more menacingly this time and aimed a blow to her abdomen. He pulled back, and just before his fist collided with her stomach, a hand stopped his arm.

"I wouldn't be causing unneeded conflict, de Pazzi," a familiar voice relieved Atronia. Ezio smacked Vieri's nose with his elbow. The boy fell back onto the cold stone road. He backed away from Ezio and ran down the street.

Atronia lay in the street, a small streak of blood running from a wound in her head. She struggled to stand up, tears streaking and rolling down her face. She felt two strong hands wrap around her arms and help her up. Her vision blurred. Stumbling, she fell to her hands and knees again. Ezio helped her up again, putting her left arm around his shoulder.

"You shouldn't be messing with the Pazzi, sister," Ezio sighed, concern ebbed in his voice. Atronia's heart skipped a beat. Had he just called her sister? He'd never called her sister.

"Sis-," she stopped herself, "I-I didn't mean to," she mumbled, "I didn't really do anything, Vieri just beat me up." Ezio stopped in his tracks.

"He had no reason?"

"No. At least, not that I know of," Atronia said, swaying a little bit. Letting go of the topic, Ezio continued,

"Come, let us get you home."

After this interaction, Ezio enjoyed Atronia more. He seemed to acknowledge that she was a true Auditore, blood-related or not. Not only that, but Atronia had gained training in secret at the hands of her uncle, Mario Auditore. She had gone to Villa Auditore in Monteriggioni often, while Ezio believed she was traveling to Rome with Giovanni. Now Atronia is fifteen, and this is where it all began.

Announcement: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the prologue. The first few chapters may not be sharp as a tack. I've been super busy and haven't been able to write enough, so I'm a bit off. Also, again, forgive me for my lack of knowledge of the plot of Assassin's Creed II. I know the main plot, but now where Ezio kills what guys and what not. If I do something wrong, just say that Atronia was off doing whatever while Ezio was doing that :). Sorry for the font change as well. I don't even know anymore. See you next chapter? Leave reviews and (friendly?) advice!


	2. Chapter 1: Escaping Abstergo

My eyes shifted to so many different drawings and writings that Subject 16, or Clay Kaczmarek, had left behind. It disgusted me to see so many. The Bleeding Effect had gone too far, Abstergo had gone too far. Not wanting to see anymore, I exited the room examining the large room the Animus dwelled in.

"Caroline?" Desmond wandered into the room after me. My hands folded behind my back, I didn't turn to my friend, "What the hell is going on?" I shook my head, pacing back and forth.

"Stillman needs to come back, without Vidic," I muttered, continuing to walk back and forth. Desmond watched me pace, "I have a feeling, but I don't know if it's true." His intent eyes followed me, then looked away.

"It's only been a few days, and we've gotten through a few years of one man's life," he sighed, sitting in a gray swivel chair across the room, "strange that some bed structure can do that," My eyes moved to him, a slight smile spread across my face. He looked at me with a confused expression, "What?"

"It'll only take two weeks to get through important parts of a lifetime, Desmond. You haven't seen anything," I replied, folding my arms. His senses triggered and he thought I was getting cocky.

"Oh yeah? You've seen a whole lifetime?" he folded his arms back at me

"Yes," my gaze rested on him and he became uneasy, unfolding his arms again, "I'm lucky not to have gone insane yet. My mind is still intact, which is weird." Desmond remained silent.

"Why are you so interested in me?" he asked. This made the situation too uncomfortable. I shifted my feet and looked at him again.

"Sorry?"

"What do _you_ want me for. I know Abstergo wants me for my ancestor's memories. But what do you want me for?" he asked. He knew her too well. He remembered her from the Farm, he just wouldn't admit it.

"Escape," just as she said that the door to the lab opened and Lucy Stillman, covered in blood, but alive, barged in.

"Lucy!" Desmond exclaimed, standing up extremely fast.

"Desmond, get in the Animus," she snapped, fast walking towards the memory seeker.

"What?"

"Do as I say, we don't have much time!" she began playing with the computer.

My gaze shifted from the two blabbering to the doorway. It was wide open, free for escapees. Hope danced in my stomach, could I now leave? I glanced at Lucy, who was busy on the Animus computer. After taking one step, she noticed I was leaving.

"Please, Caroline, stay," she said, pressing one last button on the Animus. Regret and longing flashed across my face. Lucy walked over to me, "we really need you on this." I was about to speak when she turned and woke Desmond up.

"What the hell is happening?" he immediately asked. Lucy stared hesitantly at me, "Who was that kid?"

"We're escaping," she muttered, still staring straight at me. My heart skipped a beat. Was she going to help us escape? Why? So many questions flew through my head as a look of disbelief crossed my face. Lucy nodded at me and I couldn't believe what was happening anymore.

She began to walk out of the room, Desmond right behind her. Before I left, I walked up to the Animus. The bed-like structure sat in front of me as if expecting me to lay in it. I unsheathed my hidden blade and stabbed it straight into the spine of it. Sparks flew and the power almost went out for a moment. I pulled my blade out, and left the room, leaving behind the thing that had ruined my life.

I caught up with Lucy and Desmond, and being himself, Desmond asked where I'd been. Without answering I passed, sprinting and turned straight into a guard.

"Woah!" he pulled out his weapon. I dodged his first strike, then stabbed him in the left ribcage. Quickly sheathing again, I began sprinting with the two assassins at toe. We landed at a locked door. Lucy pushed us aside and got us through using her pass.

Sprinting through the parking garage felt strange. I hadn't run in forever, and it felt great. The constant numbness in my legs was disappearing and my feet began to regain strength. The faster I went, the better it felt.

Suddenly, eight guards turned the corner ahead of us. We would have to engage. Eager to do so, I sprinted faster. Two of the guards charged at me with equal force. I slid onto my back and cut one of the guards' legs with my blade. Still on the ground, I dodged one of their attacks. I lunged forward, sinking the blade into the guard's stomach. I quickly stood up, stopping one guard's fist from flying into my face. Grabbing his tricep, I flipped him onto the hard concrete floor with a deafening crack.

After a few more violent minutes, we had defeated the band of men. Lucy led the way to the small silver car that was awaiting us. Popping open the trunk, she told Desmond to climb in.

"What? Why me?"

"Just do it, Desmond!" she snapped, pointing at the carpeted trunk. Without any more complaints, Desmond entered and Lucy slammed the door shut, "Go shotgun, I trust you with a gun more than him." I ran to the right side of the car and quickly got into the passenger seat. Lucy handed me a gun, loaded and ready for fire. I gave her a look of disbelief.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, giving her a hesitant half-smile.

"Oh, absolutely," she grinned in return, spinning the car wheel. A thud echoed from the back, "Oops, sorry Desmond!" Slamming the gas pedal, we screamed out of the parking garage and out onto the open road. I gaped in awe at the next sight. Sunlight glinting off of city buildings shined into my eyes. Lucy cast a glance at me, a slight smile spreading on her face. I hadn't seen the city for a few years.

A siren blasted into my eardrums as I realized we were getting chased. Lucy opened the sunroof, "Well? Gonna get up and shoot?"

"Are you insane?" I exclaimed. She glared at me, "Okay, fine." I kneeled on the seat and pointed the gun at the Abstergo SUV, "Let's get this over with quickly." I aimed straight for the grill and fired. A man leaned out of the passenger seat and began shooting at me. One of my shots successfully planted itself inside the grill of the opponent vehicle. A bullet flew past my head, missing by inches. The car began to slow, smoke exiting under the hood. "Drive!" I yelled at Lucy. She accelerated.

Before ducking into the car, I caught one last glance at Abstergo. I slid back into the passenger seat and Lucy continued driving away. I could barely believe our escape. Our luck. It felt strange. Someone was finally on my side.

After a few more hours of silent and peaceful driving, we made it to a small storage factory. I glanced uncertainly at the building. It looked unsteady. Lucy and I got out of the car and she opened the trunk. Desmond got out, rubbing the back of his neck. He stretched his sore muscles and Lucy began walking towards the building.

"We're staying here?" I wondered, following with Desmond at my side.

"You need to trust me, Caroline," she said, unlocking the door and wandering inside. I cast a glance at Desmond, who shrugged in return. We followed Lucy.

She climbed a number of ramps and stairs till we finally entered a room with two strange replicas of the Animus. Two people sat in the room. One man and one woman, both looking intently on their work. Once Lucy walked in, the woman looked up from her work and beamed in delight.

"Lucy!" she exclaimed, walking over with her arms stretched for an embrace, "You made it!"

"Hi Rebecca," she greeted in return, "I have something for you." She pulled a small chip out of her pocket and handed it to her friend. Rebecca went crazy, ranting on about how important and useful this was.

"Well if it isn't the infamous, Desmond Miles," the man walked up, hands inside his pockets, "Who is this?" his glance moved to me. I didn't notice, my gaze was on the Animus like structures not too far away from our conversation.

"Shaun, this is Caroline Archer. She's going to help us with our operation," Lucy explained. Actually paying attention, I gave a brief smile to the Brit. He gave me a slight nod in return.

"Now, shall we get to work?" Shaun said impatiently.

"No, I'm not getting in another Animus," I exclaimed. Shaun and Rebecca looked strangely at me, "I thought you helped me escape so I could leave this city and possibly go back to the Farm!" My gaze shifted to Lucy, who looked sympathetically at me.

"Caroline, please, can I have a word?" Shaun interrupted the silence that had spread across the room. I scowled at him, but I obediently followed him out of the room.

"Desmond? Are you willing? If so, we have a few minutes before Caroline's ancestor joins Ezio," Lucy asked. I had so many questions, but I knew I wouldn't be able to ask them for a very long time.

Shaun and I turned a corner and he turned back towards me.

"Why so private?" I asked leaning against the railing of one of the stairwells. Folding his arms, he studied me seriously. I gave him a slightly offended glance, shifting my weight.

"Why won't you get into the Animus?" he asked. My glare softened a bit. I hung my head, almost shameful of my stubborn attitude towards the Animus and the others.

"Danger, I guess," I lied, shrugging and folding my arms as well. He raised an eyebrow at me. This time, I told the truth, "Subject 16 and Abstergo. I'd rather not be driven insane by the Bleeding Effect."

He hung his head in understanding. Silently, he walked over to the rail I was sitting on and leaned against it, "Rebecca and I are assassins. You're aware of that, right?" I looked at him with surprise, "We're on your side, Caroline. This Animus doesn't carry the Effect as much as Abstergo's do. Plus, Ezio's memories are gonna be hard to crack without his adopted sister, Atronia. That's your ancestor."

"How much does a mere sister matter?" I replied, meeting his gaze. He smiled a bit.

" _Well,_ " he began sarcastically, "she _does_ help him find a certain Apple of _Eden_. That's something, is it not?" I looked away from him. He knew he had won, I just didn't want to admit it. I got off the rail and brushed past him.

"Fine."

So I entered the Animus again. Rather, the Animus 2.0. Or 'baby', whichever you prefer.

"Hey, if we find the info we need," Lucy had reassured, "this will go quickly." So I closed my eyes, and I entered the reality of my ancestor, Atronia Auditore da Firenze, a Roman Assassin from the Renaissance.

Announcement: Hi guys! I know I only just posted, but I've been free with Memorial Day weekend and all. Also, I'm gonna be busy for the next few days, so I might not be able to write as much. Anyway, how did you like the chapter? Don't worry, Caroline will soften up. I hope you'll like Atronia. She's a sassy Italian teenager, what's not to like? I'll try to post again next week. Summer is almost here! LET'S DO THIS! :)

P.S. I'm sorry again for this font stuff. I'm not too sure what's going on... :D


	3. Chapter 2: Home in Florence

"Hey!" a man yelled, dropping his box.

"Sorry, sir!" a girl's voice yelled. My eyes adjusted to the bright summer sky and the feeling of running. I was my ancestor again. It played out before me like a film. She dodged people left and right. Another figure was running on the roof, he was a familiar face. Ezio.

"You're going too slow, Atronia!" he called, pulling ahead in the race to the town square.

"You wish," she muttered to herself, sprinting as fast as she could. The citizens of Firenze created a path for her. A few men and women cursed at her insolence and immaturity. Simply ignoring it, she ran on. She was a fifteen-year old, what could they do?

The square was so close, but Ezio was just as close as she was. She slowed slightly, maybe giving Ezio the thought she had given up. He fell for it. In her eyes, he was a dim-witted teenager who couldn't stand being beaten, which was why she was going to win this race.

She lightened to a jog. Ezio slowed his pace too. He slowed to a slight walk, while Atronia jogged, holding her side as if in pain.

"What happened? Too slow to win a simple race," Ezio began the mockery, and that's when Atronia knew it was time to begin sprinting.

"Oh, no! Of course not Ezio," she said sarcastically, "I just really, really…" she hesitated, getting in a good running position, but one that wasn't too obvious, "... I just wanted to win!" And with an extreme burst of speed, Atronia went flying down the street. Ezio for a moment was left dumbstruck, then began sprinting on the roof. It wasn't even a close race. Ezio leaped into the yard and Atronia was leaning against a pillar, awaiting his arrival.

"Blasted cheater!" he laughed, walking up to her. He was out of breath. She smiled as he walked up.

"Right, you don't cheat all the time," she replied, folding her arms. He walked up and put his arm around her. They made their way down the street, laughing and finally catching their breath.

Atronia stopped in her tracks, Ezio looked back at her. The smile had gone from her face and she gulped nervously.

"What?" Ezio wondered, following her gaze to a familiar figure. Vieri de Pazzi, the long lasting bully that had tormented Atronia for years. Ezio and Vieri engaged in conversation, but Atronia was paying no attention to them. She was contemplating on whether or not to run. She stared straight at Vieri, heart pounding in her chest.

To Ezio's surprise, a rock flew from Vieri's crowd and smacked him straight in the lip. Atronia's eyes averted to the stone that had been thrown. She bent over and picked it up. Vieri didn't see Atronia throwing a stone at him a possibility. But she did so, with much force. It flew with much speed and hit him in the arm, cutting through his sleeve and his flesh. Atronia smirked at Vieri's pitiful cry of pain.

Thus, the fight began. Fists flew, noses bled and the skirmish was over within minutes. Of course, the side of the heroes held victory in the end. Ezio shook his fist in victory and hooted, but Atronia stood with a look of pure fear, watching Vieri shuffle away, holding his arm.

"What? We won, Atti!" Ezio smiled, noticing the troubled "Atti", which was a nickname he'd given her a couple years back.

"Yes, be happy during your celebration, but when we arrive home we are going to be in huge trouble!" she snapped, waving her arms around, then finally placing them on her hips. Ezio frowned, "I suppose, but when do we not?" he began to walk away, only to be confronted by Federico. The oldest brother smirked at Ezio's damaged face.

"I see you have gotten into another fight, Ezio. You must stop enraging others with your immature annoyance," Ezio realized he was mocking him, but simply looked away. Federico chuckled, "Come, brother, we must get you to a doctor, and don't think you're off the hook, Atti." Atronia's mocking smile faded and turned into a scowl.

Following her brothers, Atronia scanned the streets for survivors of the fight. Her eyes moved along the people, trying to identify who could be left. Without noticing, Ezio and Federico had made it a few yards ahead. Unknowingly, she slowed her pace. Before she knew it she was on the ground. Snapping out of her daze she sat up and looked around.

"Oh my goodness!" she felt a hand grab her arm and lift her up, "I am so sorry, miss!" She stood up fully, brushing a small bit of dust off of her clothes, "I really had no intention of doing that." the man laughed.

"Heh, I figured as much," Atronia smiled, looking up at him. He was slightly taller than her, but only a few years older, "Thank you, and don't worry about that, I wasn't paying attention either." She picked up a book that the man had been carrying and handed it to him.

"Thanks, uh..?"

"Atronia, Atronia Auditore da Firenze. Nice to meet you…?"

"Leonardo, Leonardo da Vinci."

After meeting Leonardo, I didn't feel like searching for the others, but I did anyway. I wouldn't get a verbal beating without Ezio. Finally I found them at one of the doctors.

"Atronia! Where were you?" Federico said, folding his arms as she walked up to them, "We were looking for you everywhere!"

"Oh, I can see that, Federico. And I'm fine, I just," Atronia chuckled, "ran into someone."

"Well, Ezio if fine now," Federico hesitated, a grin rising on his face, "what about a race? Just to the top of that building?" He pointed to a building not far off. Atronia looked from Ezio to Federico, "Well, I'm in!" and she began sprinting away from the two, determined to get her victory.

Announcement: Heheheheh… Hi guys. :). I'm super sorry! I have no excuse actually… I guess, oh yes, I got caught up with the wonders of summer. With school coming closer I am getting my laptop returned to me, so I'm sure I will be posting/writing more in the near future. I'm also working on tweaking the plot. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and hopefully I'll be uploading again soon. (Was this chapter too short?) Also, sorry if I'm a bit rusty, I'm not sure how my writing is at this point. I've started reading again to boost my brain. See you next chapter!


	4. Chapter 3: The Capture

Atronia hurried down the stairs, jumping off the last two. The words she expected to receive from her father the night before were not said. She knew he was angry, but not angry enough. He snapped at both of them (after Ezio got back from his love retreat with his girlfriend Cristina Vespucci).

"Atronia, quit bouncing around the house," Atronia's mother, Maria Auditore scolded as she landed.

"At least I'm not bouncing to other women's houses like Ezio," Atronia muttered. Maria stopped and gave her a glare, "Speaking of Ezio, where is he?" Atronia quickly changed the subject.

"Running around for your father," Maria kept walking. Atronia, in fear, walked back upstairs into her bedroom, before her mother's anger changed to wrath.

"Ezio and I made a mistake," Atronia said to herself, "I fear it may come back to hurt both of us." She thought to herself for a long while.

 _Will this hurt more than us?_ This thought bugged her the most. Vieri de' Pazzi was a very powerful person, with an even more powerful family. She knew her father would take the right precautions, but could he not know that Vieri would tell his father, seek revenge and try to kill off the Auditore family. All of this clicked into place when she heard banging on the front door.

No.

Oh, no.

"Stop! Don't answer the door!" Atronia screamed as she slammed the door of her room open.

The door was already opened. Federico and Giovanni were already fighting against the Pazzi that were inside the house. Atronia ran down the stairs prepared to fight. She swiftly dodged a fist that flew near her face. Scampering around, she noticed Federico in a tight headlock. She ran forward, kicking the man off his feet. Federico fell forward, gasping for breath. Atronia ran forward to make sure he was okay.

"Federico! What's going on?" she asked, panic lingered in her tone. Federico looked up at her with concern. He knew, but he also knew that she understood already what was happening. His eyes shifted to behind Atronia, then widened. He pushed her out of the way before a sword came down and scratched the tile. Atronia huddled in the corner, a brute closing in on her.

 _You're faster._ She thought. Without thinking, she slid through the man's legs and kicked him forward. Celebrating her triumph, she turned away, only to be smacked across the head with the hilt of a sword.

"Atronia!" Federico exclaimed. He ran forward and picked up his sister's unconscious body. A soldier yanked Federico away, along with Giovanni and Petruccio. Atronia lay still on the floor and Federico looked back once, hoping he would see her again.

"Atronia! Dear, please wake up," Maria's voice echoed in Atronia's mind, causing a ringing in her ears. She flickered her eyes open.

"Mother?"

"Ah, thank goodness, you're awake!" Claudia said from behind her, "You got hit real hard." Atronia sat up, holding her head, attempting to remember what had happened before the darkness.

"No. Petruccio, Father," she hesitated, "Federico! We have to save them!" she stood, much too quickly which concluded with almost blacking out again. She was sat back down by Maria, who told her sternly to stay that way. Atronia nodded.

She noticed her surroundings. They were sitting behind an upturned table next to the staircase.

"Where's Ezio?" Atronia exclaimed, hoping that her brother wasn't arrested along with the others. Claudia cast a glance at Maria, who looked concerned with both of them.

"We don't know, Atti," Maria explained, "He hasn't yet returned." Discouraged and in pain Atronia huddled, feeling more alone than ever. She wished she could've gone back to the day before and cleaned up the whole mess she and Ezio created.

To interrupt her thoughts, the door opened. Footsteps entered, then stopped abruptly. A voice spoke up, "Father? Mother?" Ezio called out. Maria sighed in relief and Claudia stepped out from behind the table, with Atronia following and Maria in the back, "Claudia! Atronia!" Ezio ran up and begged to know what was happening.

"It's the Pazzi, Ezio. They've taken Father and the brothers," Atronia said, leaning against Claudia before she passed out again. Ezio, without hesitation, headed for the door.

"Where have they taken them?" he growled.

"Ezio! What about Mother and Claudia?" Atronia replied.

"No, Atti. Take your brother and find our family. We'll find a better place to stay," Maria butted into the conversation. Atronia nodded and Ezio agreed. They walked out of the house and Atronia led the way to where they were being held.

"Be cautious, Ezio. I have a hunch they might be looking for you too." Atronia stated, causing Ezio to second guess this mission.

"And what about you?" he acknowledged, catching up with her. Atronia slowed her pace, glancing back at him.

"They don't know," she replied. Atronia could tell Ezio was confused, "You'll know in time, Ezio. I promise."

They finally reached the prison. "Well, you wanna go first?" Atronia suggested, Ezio giving her an irritated look, "Be my guest." Ezio began climbing, and Atronia stayed at the bottom, keeping a look out. This conversation was between Ezio and Giovanni. She knew what her task was for the next few days. Break her family out and get them safely out of Florence, then out of Italy.

A few minutes passed when Ezio returned to the bottom, landing in a hay bale a few feet away from her. She walked over, offering him a hand as he climbed out, "Daring, I like it," she smiled. Although, Ezio was in no mood.

"We must return to the house," he said, walking past her. Atronia looked up, wondering what on earth Giovanni told Ezio about. They ran through the streets, dodging the few people who still lingered. They made it to the residency, Ezio immediately made his way to Giovanni's office. Realization entered Atronia's mind.

"Ezio, what did Giovanni tell you?" he'd been silent the whole way back, not mentioning a word their father had said. He remained silent again, going to the back of Giovanni's office, opening a chest. He stood straight and studied the contents of the box. Atronia knew what was going to happen. Ezio didn't know, but he was taking on a heritage he was soon to figure out.

"Stay here," she muttered, turning at climbing up the stairs to her bedroom. She knew Ezio would put the robes on out of interest, or possibly out of Giovanni's order, and so would she. She knew the drill if one of them were to get captured. Put on the robes and save the family.

She entered her dark room, the moon casting a shadow across the floor. With light footsteps, she glided to her closet and kneeled taking out a small chest from underneath. Opening it, she caressed her fingers across the smooth unworn fabric. Her touch suddenly changed to something rough. She wrapped her hand around a bracer, picking it up. The design was intricate, a strange triangle shaped logo etched into it. Atronia turned it over, placing her hand on the blade that was hidden behind the bracer and smiled. The men who took her family would die at the hand of this blade, and Atronia felt no shame in thinking so.

Announcements: Well, I have only one thing to say. I am so sorry! This was definitely too late. I've been kinda interested in school things at the moment… Also, I'm not quite sure how this chapter turned out. It's not my greatest work. Anyways, I've done the research I should've started off with, and now I have a somewhat (notice the 'somewhat') understanding of the full plot line. You can correct me, I won't take it badly. In fact, correct me all you want :). School started, so now I have my laptop back! I will be bringing you much more, yet be aware. I might be a bit busy the first few weeks. So, I hope you guys stick around for the next chapter! Adios!


	5. Chapter 4: La Morte da Firenze

Relief lingered with fear in Atronia's stomach that night. She didn't know what to think. Ezio had delivered the letter to Uberto, but something about it all didn't seem right. She didn't sleep a wink that night, only stood on the balcony, pacing back and forth. It wasn't necessarily healthy, but her stomach was so on edge sleep seemed irrelevant.

"There would be a hearing in the morning. Uberto will prove that they're innocent!" Ezio had reassured earlier that day. But still, Atronia worried. She worried that Ezio might be wrong. Pushing all her doubt aside, she remembered the past few days, before her family was taken. What had happened? Pretty much nothing seemed strange about them. Vieri had tattled, and that seemed a childish reason to arrest the Auditores. Atronia figured the Templars knew that.

That man who appeared behind Uberto when Ezio was delivering the letter. He seemed familiar, almost as if Atronia had known him before. She could barely see his face, but the memory only kept flashing through her mind. Who was he? She needed to know. Was he on their side? Uberto was, as far as she knew.

"What would Uberto want with a-," she spoke aloud. It all clicked in her head, even though denial would fill her thoughts, "Traitor." She immediately shook the thought away. Uberto was a good friend of Giovanni's. He wouldn't betray him, would he?

Morning came around and Ezio and Atronia moved quickly to attend the hearing. Atronia could feel her heart pounding in her chest, as if it were about to explode. Nervous sweat trickled down her forehead and onto her neck.

They turned to corner into a courtyard. Atronia froze when she saw Petruccio, Giovanni and Federico standing helpless with nooses tied around their necks. Uberto stood, doing the opposite of what Ezio and Atronia had expected him to do. He claimed the Auditores guilty of treason.

"He's lying!" Ezio shouted, making his way through the crowd, trying to get closer. When Atronia realized what was happening, she began to shove her way through the crowd as well. Uberto was a filthy lying traitor, she should've gone with her gut. She unsheathed her hidden blade as she rammed past watching citizens.

"Federico! Father!" she shouted, now unafraid to knock people over. Federico's head turned from Uberto to Atronia, causing her to slow her pace. Everything went silent as Federico's eyes met hers. Fear and sadness filled them both. Everything went into slow motion. With a pull of a lever Atronia's whole world fell apart. She stood still and silently, her eyes wide, as she watched her family fall.

"No!" she began to sprint through the people, knocking down whoever got in her way, "YOU BLASTED TRAITOR, UBERTO! WE TRUSTED YOU!" Her fury was unchained and she attempted to get at the man, trying to climb onto the platform. She was pulled back by guards and thrown to the ground.

At this point, Ezio had taken out a few guards, but had disappeared. Atronia got up, madness glittering in her green eyes. She looked up at the traitor, and when she did, she saw no regret in his eyes, only pleasure, "Kill her."

Guards began closing in around her. Brutes mixed with regular guards and agiles. She pulled out her own sword as a brute swung his axe. She dodged, sinking her blade into one of the guards next to her. Atronia was angry, so angry she managed to take out all the guards around her. People ran away, screaming in terror. This girl of fifteen was murdering anyone who got near her.

Once all the guards were gone, she turned to the gallows where her family were still hanging. She fell to her knees and let out a loud sob. The courtyard was empty. Blood stained her robes and she kneeled at the sight of her dead brothers and father. Tears streaked her dirty face and sobs escaped her body. Shuddering, she sat for many moments, ashamed of what she had done, terrified for her own safety and for her family. The sound of guard's armour began to ring her ears. Not wanting to start another fight, she exited the courtyard, sheathing her sword.

"There she goes!" one of the guards managed to catch a glimpse of her. She began to sprint faster. Although, Atronia could quickly feel her energy slipping away. It had all happened too fast for her, she was done processing the death, but the pain was only beginning to hit.

The citizens of Florence cleared a path for her, except one, who managed to get himself right in the way of her sprinting. They both collapsed, landing much harder than when they first met. Atronia sat up, holding her head.

"Thanks for getting in-," she stopped herself. The man was only just sitting up. Something about him was familiar. Short dirty blonde hair covered by a red beret. A maroon cape draped off from his shoulders and extended below his hips.

"Atronia! Atronia Auditore!" he said once he saw her. Panic exploded in her stomach, causing it to lurch. She didn't want people to know that she was an Auditore right now. She lunged forward and grabbed his collar and yanked him up.

"Hey! What are you doing?" he demanded, stumbling along, grabbing her wrist. She dragged him to an alleyway and pinned him against a wall. Where had she seen this man before? It took a few moments, but then it came to her.

"Da Vinci?" she exclaimed, letting him go. Surprise still lingered in his expression as he straightened his clothing.

"We really need to stop running into each other like this. I can only figure that it'll be even harder next time," he said with an uneasy smile as he brushed bits of dust and vegetation off of his sleeve. He finally took the time to notice her face. It was dirty, streaked with tear lines. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hands shaking in fear. Their eyes met, "Are you alright, Atronia?" He saw the rage in her eyes, yet they were littered with dread. She shook her head, feeling her legs weaken underneath her. Everything that had just occurred finally caught up to her.

"I need your help, Leonardo," she said, balancing herself against the wall. She attempted to stay upright as her mind raced with memories and her legs remained weak.

"You're bleeding!" he exclaimed, walking forward and removing her hand from her side. Atronia hadn't even noticed. She had taken no notice to the slight pain that had hit her during her fight. The discomfort followed her realization. Her head began to throb. She moaned, her vision fogging up.

Leonardo looked around, as if seeking help. Sighing, he put her left arm around his shoulder, helping her walk.

"You are lucky that my workshop is not far away, Atronia." he smirked, speaking more himself.

"Let's just hope we both survive the walk there." she breathed. He eyed her well being constantly. Her eyes were beginning to glaze over. Her breath was quick and light. _He has no idea he's helping a criminal._ She thought to herself, pressing her hand tightly against her wound. Blood began to seep through her fingers. It had already drenched one side of her palm. She began to become concerned at where Ezio was, and that didn't improve her attitude and pain.

The two made it to Leonardo's workshop without any meetings with guards.

"Apprentice, come here!" he yelled as they entered the shop. They went to the other side of the building into a bedroom that Atronia figured was his own. It looked unused, as if he stayed up all night or at least slept in a different location. Leonardo helped her onto his bed and lied her down, ripping open her robes to examine her wound. She wanted to object, these were her own unique robes after all, but the pain was becoming unbearable, so she kept her mouth shut.

"Yes, master?" Leonardo's apprentice entered the room, obviously surprised at seeing anyone inside the bedroom, or even on the bed.

"Come here," he motioned for him to come forward. He took out a linen cloth and pressed it against the cut, "Hold this cloth here, I'm going to run and get a dottore." The apprentice nervously came forward, pressing his hand against her stomach. She could tell he was tense, unaware of what was truly happening.

"Are-are you alright?" the boy whispered. He was afraid. Her gaze moved to him, tears were forming in his eyes. Was that, sympathy mixed in? This boy Atronia had never met before was feeling sadness for her, a girl he'd never met.

The doctor had arrived, and for the last few hours Atronia had been laying unconcious. Leonardo paced around his main room, stroking his chin as his apprentice watched in concern.

Finally, the doctor exited the room, closing the door behind him. They couldn't see his face, because of his plague mask, but his eyes seemed bright.

"She will heal, she just needs a few days to rest," he commanded, slinging a bag around his shoulder. Leonardo breathed a sigh of relief, then he wondered why. He'd only met this girl a few days ago. This thought confused him greatly, but he was still happy she was alright.

A few days had passed. Atronia had occasionally woken up, startled.

"Where am I?" she gasped, clutching her side.

"Careful now!" Leonardo warned, helping her lay back down, "The wound isn't fully healed yet." She gave him a confused glance, as if she remembered nothing about the few days before.

"Oh yeah," she said, finally having the memories return, "Ezio!" she attempted to sit up again, only to have Leonardo place a hand on her shoulder.

"Please, Atronia, for your own health-," he was interrupted by a knock on the door, "I'll be right back." Atronia flopped back onto her pillow as Leonardo exited the room. Moaning, she noticed her state. She smelled horrible as if she hadn't showered in days, which was most likely true. She wore a soft linen shirt that was two times her size and her own white pants. Her hair was gnarly from laying in bed and she desperately needed to clean herself.

"Ah! Ezio!"

"Leonardo," a familiar voice echoed into her room. Ignoring her pain, Atronia sat up and ran out of the room immediately. Bursting through the door, she found where Ezio was, and without thinking embraced him, "Atti?" She felt her brother's strong arms wrap around her and a sigh of extreme relief escaped his lungs.

"I thought they'd found you!" Atronia exclaimed, tears of joy leaking from her eyes. Ezio laughed,

"I thought the same of you!" he released her, holding her shoulders. He finally noticed how she looked. Her hair in knots and the shirt hanging down to her waist, "What happened to you?"

"Oh," she turned to Leonardo looking for some kind of answer.

"Well," he started, glancing from Atronia to Ezio, attempting to find words, "I found Atronia, bleeding. So I helped her." Ezio stared at Atronia, his eyes sought forgiveness and thankfulness.

"Thank you, Leonardo," he said, placing a hand on the engineer's soldier.

"Anything for you, my friends," he smiled, "is there anything else I can do for you?"

Announcements: Well, I have a TON of explaining to do this time… First off, the last few weeks have been terrible. A teacher at my school got in a car accident and passed away, so there's reason #1. Reason #2 is that I had written down a basic plot line of what I remembered the game to be, but then I began to play AC 2 again to get a refresher, and I had it ALL wrong. Literally every detail on the old plot line has been incorrect. So, that's all I got, I've been a bit busy. I'll see if I can get back into motion. Also, I realize this chapter isn't my best. I tend to get distracted and write NO detail sometimes, but I desperately needed to post. I promise I'll give you something better next time! Anyway, see you guys next chapter!


	6. Chapter 5: Exodus

Even a few more days passed after that. Atronia had been told to linger at Leonarodo's. It took much convincing, especially since Ezio's mission was to get his revenge on Uberto Alberti. She wanted to join him, but with her still on the mend, Ezio didn't want to take any risks. So Ezio performed the task with his newly fixed hidden blade.

It was their plan to leave Firenze as soon as possible. Since they both had their notoriety down, it seemed a good time. Atronia was packing up a few things she had quickly taken back from the Auditore residence.

"Atronia, come here!" Leonardo called from a room off the main workshop. She got off her bed and walked across the creaky oak wood floorboards to the source of Leonardo's voice.

"Yes, Leo?" she had developed a nickname for him and was growing rather fond of her new friend. Leonardo had shown unbounding kindness in the hard time, staying optimistic the whole way through.

She walked into the room and noticed a beautiful set of robes. She noticed they were her own after a few long seconds of observation.

"I felt bad for ripping them up that morning, so I fixed it up for you." Leo said, casting a smile at her and gesturing to her assassin clothes. She walked forward, caressing her hand over the soft red fabric. They were much like Giovanni's, but Leonardo had made them fancier. Instead of white fabric, he chose a dark grey and a bright red with touches of bright silver.

"Leonardo, I don't know what to say!" she exclaimed, beaming in excitement. New robes was what she'd been begging Giovanni for since her tenth birthday.

"Well, Ezio will be expecting you soon, I imagine." And with that, she was alone. Leonardo had kept her same boots, gloves and pendant on a side desk. She walked over to the pendant. It was a gold locket with a small triangle like logo engraved on the outside. Written inside of it was the Creed. ' _Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.'_ Atronia had grown to understand it's meaning partially. She never really thought deeply about it, but she knew it was wise to follow.

"Best put these on." she said to herself, glancing back at her robes.

A few minutes later she walked out of the room, adjusting her hidden blade and slipping her locket over her head. She felt much better, having taken a shower and brushed her hair. Leonardo's apprentice walked out around the same time.

"Atronia! Mio Dio! You look so much better!" he exclaimed, studying her in her robes, as if adjusting to the sudden change in apparel.

"Grazie!" she laughed. "Say, do you know where Leonardo is?"

"He actually just left. He told me if you leave, that would be normal."

"Oh," she sighed. An idea suddenly popped into her head, "may I have a piece of parchment?" The apprentice nodded and handed her a quill with it. He then set down an ink holder next to her. She wasn't going to leave Florence without saying thank you to Leonardo. After finishing her letter, she placed it on Leonardo's desk and headed for the door.

"Goodbye, Ms. Auditore!"

Atronia waited at the edge of the city, attempting to look less Auditore than she really did, which was hard when you are one. She scanned the crowd for Ezio to come with Maria and Claudia, but she seemed to be earlier than they were. She'd been waiting for fifteen minutes before they finally showed up.

Claudia ran up to her and embraced her. "Atronia! I thought you were gone!"

"No, sister, I am here. Now we must leave with haste before they realize we've left. Our notoriety may be gone, but it will rise very soon." Atronia replied, releasing Claudia and saying to Ezio as he hugged her as well. They turned and walked through the front gates of Firenze, leaving behind the past behind.

Already, tension entered their conversations. Atronia and Maria remained silent while Claudia continued to press questions onto the still recovering Ezio.

"What will happen to us?" Claudia asked.

"Enough, Claudia. Now is not the time for these questions." Atronia interrupted, wanting silence. She was deep in thought. Would Mario accept them?

After many miles of travelling, the sun had began to sink on the horizon. It had turned the sky a bright orange. Clouds were entering from the east. Not far from Monteriggioni, the sun set and it became overcast. A chilled breeze flew past them. Atronia had started to lead the way after Ezio no longer knew it.

 _Snap._ Atronia immediately stopped in her tracks. She scanned the path ahead of her, pulling out her dagger, "Stay here." She trekked forward, searching for the source of the breaking twig. Suddenly out of nowhere, an arm put her in a chokehold. A sharp cold piece of metal was pressed against her throat. A hearty laugh entered her ears.

"Vieri." Ezio growled.

"Finish them, and do not spare the women!" the Pazzi yelled, unsheathing his sword. Atronia felt the man apply more pressure to her neck and thought of a solution before he slit her throat.

She raised her dagger and cut across his arm. The man's grip loosened as a yell escaped his ears. Atronia twirled and cut him across the chest.

Now Ezio was unarmed, but when she turned, she found all of Vieri's men lying dead on the ground. Arrows stuck out of all their backs and Vieri stood helpless. A loud laugh, not being Vieri's, echoed over the ground.

"Oh, no." Atronia mumbled. She recognized that laugh. Then the voice said a few words, and the the fight began. Mario appeared from the bushes, handing Ezio a sword. Atronia pulled out her own and joined in, kicking a Pazzi in the back, causing him to stumble into others. Atronia found herself back to back with her uncle.

"Hello, Uncle." she mumbled, blocking a rogue sword.

"Ah, Atronia," he replied, "I was hoping you would come to finish your training. It's been a while."

"Sorry, things have been a bit," she hesitated, trying not to remember the day her family died, "dramatic in Florence." she sunk her sword into her opponent's chest, rage beginning to flow through her.

"Sí, I heard," Mario said, his face turning into a scowl, "Curse the Pazzi."

As Atronia finished off the last of her opponents, she looked to Ezio to make sure he was okay. The only thing she saw on his face was awe and questioning. Atronia gave him a good reason to wonder. She suddenly breaks out into a mad skills extravaganza with swift moves of the sword, and he just sits wondering where she'd learned these things.

While Mario introduced himself again to Ezio and the girls, Atronia kept a lookout for more Pazzi. Her eyes scanned the grounds. Something in the distance caught her eye, a large structure that spanned for a few miles. It was familiar, Atronia's second home, "Monteriggioni," she murmured to herself, "oh, how I've missed you."

 _2 Years Later_

Leonardo,

I am hoping to return to Florence soon. I have been completing my assassin training in Monteriggioni with Ezio and my uncle. I am sorry I did not ever write to you prior to this, but I have been so busy, mio amico. Ezio is reluctant to stay in Italia. I am worried he will leave for Spain. I will not, however. I refuse to. I gave my father a promise I will not break. I hope to see you very soon, Leonardo.

Addio amico mio,

Atronia Auditore da Firenze

Ezio was determined to leave, with Atronia. They seemed to argue for countless hours, Atronia attempting to convince him to stay. One argument consisted of these words.

"Ezio, our Uncle is counting on us to stay and help him take down the Templars!"

"That problem wasn't given to us!" Ezio fought back.

"I'm staying," she muttered, "I choose to stand and fight, not become an insolent coward. I choose to stand by my Uncle and fight for the lives that were our father and brothers. I think your side should be here as well." She walked away from that one, furious. Mario had no better mood than she did for those few days.

Ezio had his final training day with Mario, and Atronia was worried that things would become heated. The swordfighting session ended. Atronia sat watching, tensed and keeping an eye out for signs of anger amongst the two.

"Well, Ezio, I believe that is all I have to teach you. You have trained well, I am very proud of your progress." Mario congratulated his nephew with a pat on the shoulder.

"Uncle," Ezio cast an uneasy glance at Atronia, "My sisters, mother and I must leave for Spain. We are endangering everyone here."

"Sister." Atronia mumbled under her breath.

"Ezio, please, you must help us take down the Templars. It's in your blood, your father was an assassin and you've accepted that!"

"Yes, but Uncle, it is not for me!"

"Fine!" and with that, Mario was gone. Atronia got up as Ezio turned to her and she began to walk with behind her Uncle. Her brother grabbed her arm.

"Atronia, you have to come with me." Ezio urged, pleading in his eyes.

"I can make my own choices. My choice is to stay, mio fratello." she yanked her arm from his grasp and followed Mario away from Ezio. He stood, disheartened, he knew what he had to do, but he couldn't do it. Ezio walked in the other direction.

Atronia never looked back.

She sought her Uncle, whom she found in his study, as always.

"Uncle?" she murmured, softly treading. He stood hovering over his desk, shaking a bit. Sympathy flooded her, "Uncle." She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. He sighed.

"We could only try. He's just trying to keep his family safe."

"It's not your fault. It was his choice." Atronia hesitated, "What will we do now?" Mario's gaze moved up to the Codex wall. His eyes narrowed and a slight grin spread on his face.

"We're going to kill Vieri de Pazzi."

Announcements: HAHAHA! Forgive me. I swear to you, the next chapter will come next week at the least. If I'm lying, you can be so mad at me. Anyway, my plotline has many chunks I need to improve, which is why I've been a bit hesitant to post anything… Yeah… Guys, I'm new at this okay! Nah, you're cool. I hope to see ya'll next chapter! Feel free to comment, review and add any corrections to my plot/characters/etc. Bye!


	7. Chapter 6: Monteriggioni Secrets

The ride to San Gimignano was quiet. The mercenaries riding with the assassins were rowdy and messing around, excited to put the youngest Templar's life to an end. Atronia remained silent with Mario. She knew the depth of this mission. Even though Vieri, although being an ongoing enemy of hers, she felt a large chunk of her life would seemingly disappear into nothingness.

"Are you ready for this?" Mario wondered why she remained so silent. He urged his horse forward so he was trotting at the same pace. Atronia glanced at him, a grin spreading on her face.

"Mario," she replied, "you trained me for this." On they rode, the sunlight slowly dipping on the horizon. Atronia gazed out onto the field. Rolling hills extended on with one particularly large one covering a part of the sun. The sun was painted orange and crimson.

Just as the sun set, the fortress came into sight. Atronia thought of Ezio, but she immediately shook it off, keeping focused on her task. _He's leaving, Atronia._ She thought.

Mario's hand suddenly shot up. "Hold." he motioned. The clop of the horses hooves halted, "From here on, we shall go on foot so we are not noticed. We must use stealth." Everyone got of their horses and the group moved forward. The fortress moved closer and closer, looming as the moon rose above it. A shadow cast on the ground, making it only more eerie. The group retreated slightly to a nearby village, not wanting to be seen by the Pazzi, yet.

A few minutes passed. Those minutes turned into a short hour. Another half hour passed after that. Mario continued to tell his men the plan and preparing for the whole time. Atronia, having heard this plan multiple times, moved to keep watch on the outskirts of the village. Her eyes scanned the dark fields that surrounded the fortress.

Stars glittered and flickered in the night sky. She fulfilled her boredom by finding the different constellations she had memorized. It reminded her of Leonardo. A small twitch disturbed her stomach. She actually missed him. She missed Florence, having only been back once in the two year time span.

A sound interrupted her thoughts. _A horse?_ Atronia's gaze moved down the path, where a figure was rapidly approaching on a brown steed. The stranger wore a white hood and what looked like extremely familiar robes. It all clicked in Atronia's mind.

"Ezio?" she stood up, taking a few steps forward to greet him. He skidded up in front of her. Ezio quickly dismounted and Atronia squeezed him much harder than he was expecting. "I figured you might join us." Ezio gave her a smile as Mario approached. Their uncle said about the same thing.

The plan was to begin. The mercenaries began to walk towards the walls again, slowly tiptoeing so they couldn't be spotted from the gate. Atronia scouted ahead, assassinating guards from behind walls and clearing a space for the warriors.

"I will infiltrate from the walls. You can tell Ezio the rest of the plan, Mario." with that, she retreated from the rest of the group. She scanned the wall of the side she was on. It was tall, stone. _Pretty slick from recent rain._ Atronia moved around the wall, being careful not to be caught by archers. _Ah-ha!_

Atronia made her way up the stone wall, having found the perfect place to climb it. Peeking hesitantly over the ledge, she sought archers and found one walking in the opposite direction on the other side of the wall. She slipped over the ledge and quickly tiptoed to the other, finding a good place to jump. A small hay cart lay not far away, and she simply jumped over and slumped into the scratchy dried grass. Wiggling her fingers around created a quarter-sized peephole for her to pear out of. No guards were in sight.

"Mario, you'd better be ready." Atronia sighed, crawling out of the hay. She began to brush little bits of dust and grass off of her sleeve as an agile rounded the corner.

"Hey," a guard shouted as he turned the corner, "you're not supposed to be here, straniero!"

"I know!" Atronia called back, adjusting her vambrace eyeing the guards approaching her. A brute followed him, carrying a menacing looking axe. The first guards hand moved to the hilt of his rapier, clenching it tightly.

"Get out of here! This area is restricted." the brute added on, his voice muffled by the heavy armor that covered his face.

"Farmi idiota." Atronia snapped, unsheathing her hidden blade as the first guard came charging at her. Before he could make it, she placed her foot on the hay cart and flipping over him. She landed, then was careful to find the perfect place to lay a fatal blow. Atronia began to hear yelling not far away, Mario had started the fight. She ran around the corner, pulling out her sword.

She scanned the crowd for Ezio. Not finding him, she figured he would already be finding Vieri.

"Aye, which direction did Ezio go?" she said, running up to a fighting mercenary. His eyes were focused on his target, but they moved slightly to the right so his enemy wouldn't follow with ease. "Grazie, friend." She ran in the said direction, cutting off any guards who got in her way. She turned a corner to see Ezio hiding behind a wall. She looked up at the tower that stood before them. Voices echoed off the stone and they recognized Vieri's annoying squeaky voice. Without noticing Atronia, in a few fluid motions, Ezio had climbed and leaped over the wall. All Atronia heard after that were swords clanging and bodies falling onto the stone floor.

Vieri de Pazzi was vanquished. That meant celebration and drinks for all men in Monteriggioni. Another rat was dead, and no one could be happier.

Atronia awaited Ezio inside the Villa, lurking on the white marble staircase. He entered with his hood down, looking not necessarily relaxed, but relieved. His gaze moved to hers and he smiled. Atronia walked over and hugged him. "Congratulations, Ezio." she said. "You've really changed the course of things around here." He gave her a hesitant look as he let go. He knew what Atronia was doing, pushing him to stay when his head was telling him to go.

"Grazie, Atronia. I'm not-..." Ezio began to explain his insight when Mario entered, smiling and arms outstretched.

"Victory!" he cried, raising his eyes to the ceiling. A loud laugh echoed from his throat as he patted them both on the shoulder. Atronia cast an amused glance at Ezio, who snickered in return. "I've got something to show you both." He suddenly became serious. The change in mood created some kind of intensity in the room as Mario walked past them and started into his office. The siblings exchanged a confused stare.

The two followed him into a hidden hallway and after many staircases, hallways and corridors. They finally entered a large cavern. Seven large statues stood in the cave, the one in the middle concealed by iron bars. White marble made up most of the area. While Mario explained the heritage of the strange underlayer, Atronia made her way forward, looking fondly at the statue blocked by bars. She turned back to them, noticing on the middle of the floor there was a large symbol. The assassin's logo. Connecting it all in her head, she looked again at the statue.

"Altair Ibn-La'Ahad. That's him, isn't it?" she wondered. Mario nodded.

"All of these statues, they were assassins. All from different times." he explained. Atronia nodded, studying the others. "Not much has been found on Altair's life other than he was an assassin who found one of the pieces of Eden."

"Have you not heard of the Hunt for Nine?" Atronia said, a little too much know-it-all in her voice, "Altair lost his honor by being reckless during a mission. He had to kill of a ton of Templars to regain the honor he lost. Then his master turned on him, revealing he was a Templar himself."

Mario nodded while Ezio remained confused, but shrugged it off. They wandered the chamber a little longer, then went to rejoin the celebration.

"Ezio, wait," Atronia held her brother back, "are you going to stay?" Ezio ducked his head.

"Si."

Atronia beamed at him, "Really? Bene!" she hesitated, "Where do you want to start?" Ezio gave her an amused look.

"Firenze."

Announcements: Hey guys. I have nothing to say. I just wanted to thank the person who posted the comment 'Please update soon.'. I was having a lot of doubts about this story and my schedule became scattered. Because of that comment, I know now that people are actually enjoying my story and I'm very happy about that. I don't know if my writing schedule will change. I'll definitely be posting more often. Not sure how often, but more often than now. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Soon things will be getting a bit more strange...


	8. Chapter 7: Medici

"I don't care that the assassin is highly trained, Jacopo. I want it dead first." A tall, portly man snapped at a more elderly man, most likely Jacopo.

"But, grandmaster, you saw the square in Firenze after the hanging..."

"Thank you for proving my point for me." the stout man snarled. "Dead, de Pazzi, before I have the urge to kill _you_."

Jacopo's eyes widened as he cowered a little more, "It will be done. May the father of understanding guide us."

As the golden walls of Firenze glowed in the sun, a squirm entered Atronia's stomach. She stopped her horse to study the entrance of which they left only a couple years ago. Ezio looked back at her, empathy glazed his eyes.

"Coming, Atti? We're seeing Leonardo, remember?" he smiled, feeling the same things she was. He knew what she was going through. Atronia's heart lifted at the comment of Leonardo, she'd been eager to see him for quite some time.

"Sí," she replied, the queasy feeling withdrawing slightly, "it's just weird to be back, that's all." Ezio nodded in agreement, waiting for her to catch up.

They approached the gate and tied their horses next to a small haystack. The streets bustled and the yells of merchants attempting to sell their items rang across the pavement. Warm scents of bread and cakes drifted in the air. The sound of the lyre echoed in the distance. The city hadn't changed one bit.

After a few minutes, they found themselves in a familiar looking area. A recognizable doorway stood a few feet away from them. Excitement buzzed between the two as they came closer to the entrance. Ezio knocked on the door, exchanging an eager glance with his sister. The door flew open to see a young man, Leonardo's apprentice. He studied them for a moment, and then his eyes opened much wider once he noticed who they were.

"Mio Dio! Ezio! A-Atronia!" excitement gleamed on his face and in his smile. "Oh! I will go get Master da Vinci! Come in, please!" They stepped into the workshop, which was notably cluttered. Paintings were scattered in various places along with drawings and ink. Small pieces of wood found its way into the strangest places. Atronia expected nothing less of Leonardo. The apprentice rushed out of the room and up the small creaky staircase.

A few loud voices echoed from the small hole that led upstairs. Those were followed by rapid footsteps and a familiar looking pair of boots. Leonardo's face was of pure elation. He hurried down the stairs and embraced Ezio, then squeezed the life out of Atronia.

"My friends! I cannot believe you have returned to Florence!" Leonardo's eyes were sparkling with delight. Ezio beamed and pulled out a small paper that was coiled into a roll. He handed the paper to the inventor, whose face lit up even more. "Another codex page! How exciting!" He moved to his desk where he unraveled the coil and studied the contents of the page. His face became confused.

"What is it?" Atronia wondered, noticing her friend's perplexed expression.

"It's strange. This codex page is identical to the last one. It's a diagram for the same blade." they all waited a moment for Leonardo to think, "Oh! Io vedo! It is a diagram for another. I shall create a second blade for the other wrist!"

Atronia smirked at him. He noticed, staring puzzled back at her. "What?" he wondered.

"It's just interesting at how eager you get to find more about these pieces of parchment… That's all." Atronia smiled.

Atronia had respectfully excused herself from the workshop after gaining the twin blade. Ezio had put up a fight that Atronia had successfully won. The reason why she had left was still unclear in her mind. Was it the memories that had come flooding back? Was it the nervousness of being caught by her enemies? Was it being back around Leonardo? She pushed the last question away.

Deep in her thoughts, Atronia only watched where she was going. Not who she was running into or who she accidentally pushed over into a puddle. Or that the guard she'd accidentally shoved felt free to send curses flying at her. She found herself somewhere near the southern docks, noticing the water lap up against the stone. Atronia sighed, placing her elbows comfortably on the top of the wall. She gazed into the water as if it were an old friend. This city seemed to greet her with pleasure, as if it had known she was going to return. As if it had missed her.

A shove broke her out of her thoughts.

"Forgive me, Miss Auditore." Atronia's head perked up and she looked around her. Nobody seemed to be looking at her. Where had that voice come from? She scanned the street before her. Nothing caught her eye except one particular man who hid in the shadows, whom she began to approach hesitantly.

"Who are you?" she called out. As she came closer and closer, the man steadily moved away from her, until he finally climbed up the wall of the building she was cornering him on.

He had revealed himself from the shadows. The man wore a brown cloak that ran down to his knees. He wore orange tights, with short brown boots concealing his feet. A brown and yellow shirt covered his torso. He was simple, modest and subtle.

She followed nimbly up the light clay wall, "Wait!" she called, jumping up onto the roof and seeing his brown cape flick as he ran away. He gained speed leaving Atronia far behind him. Suddenly, the man disappeared as if into thin air. Atronia stopped in her tracks. Her gaze moved from side to side trying to find the vanishing man.

A small flicker caught her scanning, then a shadow. He was behind the small area that stuck up out of the roof.

"Cazzo." she muttered, giving the man the impression she'd given up. There was a small chance he would take the bait, but she took it anyway. She walked away a few steps then with remarkably light feet, she hid on the opposite side of the man. She moved behind the short wall and got closer and closer to the side the man was on. Peeking around the corner, his back was to her. She silently pulled out her dagger, placing her feet carefully and quietly.

"Ahem." she coughed. The man turned, surprise flashed in his eyes. Acting quick, she pinned him to the wall and stuck the dagger to his throat. "Care to explain why you ran?" A laugh escaped his mouth. His voice was light and somewhat high-pitched for a man his age.

"Why you're an assassin of course. You draw more attention than you know," he observed, bearing a comical smile, "I can help you with that."

"Who are you?"

He grinned again, "Volpe is the name. Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"Volpe? An ally. I forgot you and your thieves were stationed in Firenze." she sighed, taking the dagger away from his neck and sheathing it. He glanced suspiciously at the hand she had just outstretched.

"Atronia Auditore da Firenze, pleased to meet your acquaintance." she mocked, gripping his gloved hand and pulling him onto his feet.

"You are exceptionally stealthy, Miss Auditore," placing a hand where the dagger used to be, "who taught you these things?" Her eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"Why would I tell you, thief?" she spat, folding her arms defensively. The man only smiled and opened his mouth as if to reply, but was rudely interrupted by another thief running past him. The other man immediately turned around and ran back to Volpe once he noticed he had passed them.

"Volpe-" his sentence was interrupted by another set of footsteps and a flash of white that passed them then stopped. Atronia placed her fingers on the bridge of her nose as she noticed it was her brother. He turned and grabbed the thief by the collar.

"You no good-"

"Ezio!" Atronia shoved him away.

"What? He stole my pouch!"

"Here!" Volpe interrupted before things could get more out of hand. "Well, hand it over, Russo." The thief angrily shoved the pouch into Volpe's hand which handed Ezio the same bag. Atronia gave the pickpocket, Russo, a smirk which he returned with a glare.

"Ezio, this is Volpe, the man you were looking for. Lucky for you, I ran into him," Atronia gave her brother a pat on the shoulder and waved a hand at the man in orange, "Volpe, this is my brother, Ezio Auditore."

"Sí, I've heard much about your work and killing Vieri de Pazzi. Bold move, but I would guess it's worth it after all." Volpe nodded towards Ezio.

"Rumors tell us that you know how to spy on the Pazzi and have been for a long while now." Ezio questioned. Volpe gave the two assassins a frown.

"Well, it depends on whose opinion you trust, it would seem."

"Please, Volpe. It would mean a lot." Atronia attempted a more respectful route, "We're looking for answers and," she glanced at Ezio, "some form of revenge I'm sure you'd understand."

"I will show you," he agreed, nodding, "as long as you can keep up." He sprinted away across the rooftop, leaving Ezio and Atronia in the dust.

The next morning Ezio and Atronia stood concealed in a large crowd of people. They stood before the church, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, awaiting for the conspiracy to start.

The day before, Volpe had brought them to a meeting spot of the Templars. The two had entered a strange passage and witnessed a meeting, where they overheard there was going to be an assassination attempt on the Medici, the rulers of Firenze. It was now Atronia and Ezio's job to stop the Templars from succeeding.

"There, it's Lorenzo de Medici." Ezio murmured as the family walked to the front entrance of the basilica. It was comforting to see the familiar face of Lorenzo's. He was one of Giovanni's best friends and Atronia had grown to like the man. His brother, Giuliano, followed Lorenzo, waving to the enormous crowd who awaited entry for the day's service.

Ezio smiled, looking around and admiring the sizable church, which he always seemed to gawk at. Atronia, however, was not as optimistic. She had her arms folded, scanning the gathering for possible attackers. A movement from the front stole Atronia's stare.

"Look out!" a scream echoed from the middle of the square. A startled gasp echoed through the people. A man, Francesco de Pazzi had drawn his sword and began to charge at the Medici family. Atronia immediately took action, Ezio following her. She charged through the people, who began to shuffle slightly. A familiar feeling of desperation to save, caused energy to explode from Atronia. She began to shove people harder as other men charged forward, prepared to fight and kill.

"Move!" she yelled. Drawing her sword caused a path to emerge in front of her as terrified witnesses scattered away. Sprinting forward, Atronia made her way in between Francesco and Lorenzo, who was cornered. She blocked what could've been a fatal strike with her sword. Swinging again, she knocked the Pazzi's sword away for enough time to kick him in the chest. She quickly blocked another blade flying at her and found a weak spot in the assailant, wounding him.

While the other fighters were distracted in a different area, Atronia turned to Lorenzo. A small trickle of crimson blood seeped down his forehead and he held his side which was also stained. She ran up to him, offering him a hand. The ruler gratefully took it and she wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Before turning, she looked to Ezio, who'd managed to fend off the rest of the attackers. Sadly, Giuliano de Medici hadn't made it through the brief confrontation.

"Thank you for saving my life, young one," Lorenzo mentioned as they began to hurriedly walk away from the scene with Ezio following, sword drawn, "how can I repay such a gift?"

"We can talk about that later. Right now, we must get you to safety," Atronia replied as Ezio caught up to them, "Is there a place we can bring you?"

Lorenzo guided the two through the maze of Firenze, while asking questions which were quickly denied by them both. Lorenzo only became worse during their travels. They finally arrived at a barricade. Medici walked forward and knocked on the door.

"Open up! Quickly!" he called as a captain came.

"Come in, quick!" the soldier summoned them. They set Lorenzo on a bench as a doctor came in to check his wounds.

"Grazie, my friends. If you don't mind me asking, who are you?" the leader asked, glancing hesitantly at Ezio and his robes, obviously recognizing them to be Giovanni's.

"I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze."

"And I am Atronia Auditore."

They both unveiled themselves by taking their hoods off. Realization flickered in Lorenzo's eyes.

"Ah, yes. I should've known. Those _are_ Giovanni's robes, are they not?" he smiled, finally recognizing them. "Why have you decided to return? Although, your timing is not terrible, in fact, it seems to be perfect."

"This talk is for another time, my lord," a soldier walked up, "I give a report. The Pazzi have caused an uproar. We are fighting, but they seem to be overpowering our forces." There was a moment of silence as if everyone was thinking of the best plan. An idea popped into Atronia's head.

"Leave it to Ezio and I." she decided, meeting Ezio's gaze. Her brother nodded in agreement.

"We can take care of Francesco. That's _part_ of why we came back." Ezio chipped in, casting an amused glance at Atronia. She returned the look with a confused gaze. Lorenzo's gaze rested on the two, pride and doubt both filled his heart and mind.

"As you wish, but be careful."

 _Shink._ Atronia's hidden blade disappeared back into its sheathe. A loud thump echoed across the cobblestone pavement as her victim moaned in pain. Peeking around the corner, she checked for more guards. For her luck, she found none, then climbed the nearest stack of scaffolding. She let out a piercing whistle to summon Ezio to begin climbing.

Atronia let out a squeak of fear as she noticed she would have to scale this skyscraping tower. She gulped, but made her way up. Once on the edge of the top, not daring to look down, Atronia peeked over the wall, locating exactly where Francesco was and finding a few selected guards. Climbing over the wall, she lept behind a barrel before a guard turned the corner.

The clanging of swords distracted both Atronia and the sentry. The assassin face palmed herself as she realized Ezio hadn't followed the plan. There was no time to lose then. Finding the nearest guard, she quickly grabbed him and stabbed him with her hidden blade. Quickly dodging a rogue sword, Atronia unsheathed her dagger, blocking a direct hit this time. Lunging forward, she topped her attacker over and pierced his chest with her knife.

Her focus immediately moved to Ezio, who was having an epic melee battle with Francesco de Pazzi. Swiftly and without effort, Francesco had Ezio cornered. Atronia sheathed her dagger once more, then quietly unsheathed a better blade to use to end de Pazzi's life. In one fluent motion, Atronia had taken a step and sunk her blade into the Templar's stomach. A startled and painful gasp escaped his lungs. All his weight collapsed and he fell to the ground, dead.

"You two have helped me very much, you've restored Florence to its original state, " Lorenzo smiled as they stood on a bridge, water lapping up and the stone walls, "I hope this will repay what you've done for me. But, if you ever need anything, my friends, I will be here as an ally and as a mentor." He pulled out a scroll and handed it to them. Excitement fluttered in Atronia's stomach. A codex page, this meant seeing Leonardo again before they left.

"Lorenzo, we are grateful for being on our side," Ezio replied, accepting the codex gratefully, "but we will be leaving Firenze today." Atronia didn't like the fact that they would be, but Monteriggioni called, and it was time to leave. Understanding and sadness was in Lorenzo's gaze.

"I understand. Good luck, Auditores. The hope of Firenze will go with you." he grinned and winked at Atronia, causing her to become red in the face. He shook hands with Ezio and the two walked away from the ruler.

A few minutes later, they ended up at Leonardo's workshop. Knocking and entering, Ezio took out the codex page to immediately hand to Leo.

"Ah, Ezio! So good to see you!" he exclaimed, looking up from his current work, "Hello, Atti. Nice to see you too." Atronia's stomach didn't want to seem to cooperate with her, neither did her brain.

"Uh…" she hesitated, nervously playing with her hands, "ciao." A silent realization fell on her. _That_ was exactly why Ezio had glanced at her like that the other day. Idiota. She said that to both Ezio and herself. Why was Leonardo so charming? The thought caused her to blush, making her look more stupid.

"What? Why?" Ezio stuttered at the news Atronia had just told him.

"There is no brotherhood there, and if we want to expand and strengthen, I suggest one of us go and kill some Templars and the other will go to Firenze to build up the guilds there." Atronia had finally managed to convince Mario that she should go back to Firenze, but Ezio was harder.

"Atti." he hesitated, attempting to find a reason. After a few seconds of thought, there was nothing from him.

"Ezio, it's not like I'm abandoning you," she said, embracing him, "Come to Firenze once you're done. I know you'll have help." Atronia kissed her brother on the cheek and left him standing in the foyer of the Villa Monteriggioni.

Hey everyone! Hope this chapter wasn't too long. Heh. My school schedule just cleared up so I will definitely be writing more often. We were introduced to Volpe, I have a thought that he will become a more vital character in my story. We got the 'How exciting!' line from Leonardo as well. Also, two Templars are dead now. Also, (yes again) I hope this chapter wasn't too choppy for you guys with all the '***'. There were just some unimportant scenes I wanted to clip off (and that I couldn't remember) because the chapter was getting really long. Like I said last chapter, Atronia is acting a bit weird and things are getting strange. Hopefully I will get chapter 8 out in the next few weeks!

One more note, sorry for the username change, I hope that didn't confuse anyone.

Feel free to leave reviews, I love to get advice, it helps a lot with my writing. See you all next time! - melvick462


	9. Chapter 8: My Dear Venezia

_1480 - 2 Years Later_

Leaves still managed to block her view. No matter what she did, Atronia couldn't seem to get a good view of this secret meeting. She had hidden on top of a wall, but that was too far. The bush only clouded her image more. Shifting it would only have the Templars notice her. An irritated growl escaped her throat. This meeting was far too important to miss.

Something from the entrance to this particular monument caught her attention. A flash of white cloth, then nothing. Not only her own, but everyone's eyes moved to that spot as two guards walked into the arena. They had their hands on a man who had an outfit very similar to someone Atronia knew, and she placed who it was immediately.

"What the…" she moaned, rubbing her face in aggravation. The plan she thought of never involved Ezio. She hadn't even seen her brother in two years.

"Ah, Ezio Auditore!" the blasted Spaniard finally spoke loud enough for her to hear, "Nice of you to join us."

She could hear no more voices, so Atronia was left to watch and play with dead grass and stray leaves. The Spaniard spoke for a few minutes, giving Atronia plenty of time to move around the pavilion and watch the meeting from over head.

All of sudden, her and Ezio's eyes met. He gave her a confused gaze. With the dimness and the setting sun, she figured he had no idea who she was yet. Pressing her pointer finger to her lips, she summoned him to stay silent.

"You have failed me too many times, Jacopo. I am sure you know how I deal with failure. I told you to kill the girl, you shouldn't have disobeyed me." the Spaniard snapped. Jacopo backed away, nervous sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Grandmaster, I have done nothing but served you!" the old man attempted to reason with his master, flinching when the Spaniard waved his dagger. Atronia felt to act before anything happened. However, if she did intervene Jacopo might not die, which was exactly why she was there. Waiting patiently on the cold stone arch, the assassin watched with eyes like an eagle's for any suspicious actions.

"No!" Jacopo cried as the Spaniard thrust his dagger into the poor man's stomach. Atronia flinched in surprise, _Why would the Spaniard kill off his right hand man?_ She looked to Ezio, who seemed solemn.

"You've failed, de Pazzi. I asked you to kill the assassin multiple times, and you failed each time." Borgia growled, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the blood off of his knife, "It's time I took matters into my own hands." The Spaniard left the arena, a number of guards following him in an orderly manner. The Templar had ordered the guards to kill Ezio. Atronia figured it was time to jump in. Her brother was obviously outnumbered.

As the guards continued to crowd Ezio, Atronia planned a most dramatic entrance. She jumped off her arch and waited for at least one person to notice her. One guard turned after he heard the thud of her falling.

"Who are you?" he asked, pointing his sword at her. Atronia chuckled.

"Well, I'm not your friend, I can tell you that."

With that the fighting commenced. Atronia immediately lept onto the guard that had spoken and thrust her hidden blade into his chest. She rolled aside as another guard attempted to strike her. Jumping into the air, she managed to connect her foot with a guard's face, knocking him to the side.

Once they'd finished off the guards, Ezio went over to Jacopo to get answers out of his dying mouth. No information came. It made Atronia depressed, how the Templars acted so unjustly. That thought made her feel ill, so she pushed it away. Ezio began to walk towards her.

"I wanted to thank you for the help you gave me," he smiled, "what is your name?" He seemed so innocent, it made Atronia chuckle while she shoved his shoulder.

"It's Atti, you blasted idiota." she laughed, taking off her hood. Ezio beamed, embracing his sister.

"Atronia! I'm so sorry! I thought you were still…"

"In Firenze? Sí, I was. A spy told me of this meeting. I didn't count on you being here." Atronia smiled. "I heard you've taken out all of the Templars in Tuscany."

Ezio rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Well, I had help…"

"Oh, shut up. Come, I am heading back to Florence. Leonardo said he'd be leaving for Venezia in a few days. Would you want to come along?" she asked, beginning to walk out of the arena. Ezio followed, nodding in agreement.

About a day later, they arrived in Florence again, making their way to Leonardo's workshop. Leo had been a useful ally when it came to ears and eyes in Firenze. However, it was to the assassin's surprise that Leo had already left for Venice. Disheartened, Atronia told Ezio to go wait at the gate while she informed her second-in-command that she would be leaving again.

"Russo!" she called. Footsteps echoed above her head as Russo, the thief who had stolen from Ezio, came galloping down the stairs.

"Atronia, you're back!" the pickpocket smiled in delight. He noticed the look on her face, "But you're leaving again, aren't you?"

"Ezio and I met up again. We're going to go to Venezia. I trust you know how to watch over this guild?"

Russo nodded and he exited the room. Atronia left Firenze once again.

Haste doesn't begin to explain how fast the Auditores traveled. Their urged their horses onward, stopping only a few times to give them water. One particular hour, the two had held off. It had become overcast and they began to worry of rain. They fed their horses one more time before setting off. Something caught Atronia's eye; a coach. Ezio got onto his horse, adjusting the saddle multiple times.

"Atronia, let's go. We must hurry if we are to reach a boat in time."

"Wait, Ezio look!" she pointed to the carriage. It was hard to tell from a distance, but it was slightly tilted, as if a wheel had fell into some kind of hole, "We should help."

"Atti, we don't have time." Ezio complained, an old whine entering his voice. She hadn't heard that in a while. Ezio's annoyed face was on, and Atronia knew it was smart to just move along from that look.

"Fine, we will pass and see who it is. If they look suspicious, we'll move on." she growled in return, folding her arms. Ezio rolled his eyes at that comment, but nodded grumpily as Atronia climbed onto her steed. They trudged forward, not moving too fast yet, simply waiting for a person to come into sight.

They saw a figure pop out from behind the coach.

"Leonardo?" Atronia exclaimed, recognizing her friend's red beret immediately. The inventor's distraught gaze moved from his broken coach to the two unexpected visitors. There was no surprise on his face.

"I should've known I'd run into you two out here." a smile lit his face and he winked at Atronia. He still seemed tired, as if this whole day just hadn't been working out with him. The assassins got off of their horses and walked over to their friend. "Good thing too, I'm in a bit of a… situation." The inventor's dirty blonde hair bobbed as he looked regretfully back at his carriage.

"Here, I'll help." Ezio offered, walking to the other side of the coach, lifting it up while Leo fiddled with the axis and the wheel underneath. A strange bat shaped object caught Atronia's attention while she waited for the two to be finished.

"Leonardo," she commented, "What is this… thing?"

"It looks like a bat." Ezio, not being subtle about his opinion at all, finished off her sentence. At the same time, looking over at her as if he'd been thinking the same thing the whole time.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a project I've been working on. I couldn't leave it behind." Leonardo returned, standing up after fixing the broken coach. He looked hesitant, he wasn't telling them something. Atronia knew that.

"So, what does it do?" she urged, taking a few steps towards them.

"Uh," the engineer stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, "I really shouldn't say." His nervous eyes met Atronia's unconvinced stare, causing him to sigh in distress. "Okay, okay. I know this might sound crazy, but I may have found a way to make man fly!"

At first, Atronia was surprised. _Flying?_ Doubt caused that hopeful thought to flutter away and her expression turned to resentful. Ezio simply laughed, stating, "Come on, I'll drive."

They were so close to Forlí. A few more minutes and they'd be there. Ezio and Leonardo sat in the front guiding the horses, while Atronia sat in the back with the strange flight machine constantly jabbing at her leg. While she gazed out of the back window, something caught her gaze. A horse. Not just any horse. The horse had armor with another armed man sitting on it's back. The armor had red and gold engraved in it and once Atronia saw the red, she knew they had to go faster, immediately.

"Ezio! Go faster!"

"What? Why?" her brother questioned. Annoyed, Atronia kicked open the back doors of the carriage.

"We are being followed by Borgia's men!" she shouted back at him, "Now go faster!" Ezio immediately whipped the horses, causing the carriage to lurch forward almost causing Atronia to fall out. She pulled her crossbow off of her back and immediately aimed it at the Borgia, who also began to speed up.

"Is it only the one?" Leonardo asked.

"Never ask that, Leonardo, especially when it comes to guards. Of course there are more." Atronia replied, carefully aiming for the guard, who was drawing closer and closer to them. Pulling the trigger, the guard fell off of his horse, which drew to a stop and whinnied, kicking at the sudden change of events. Horses began to surround the carriage. Atronia kept shooting from the inside of the carriage, but when a horseman continued to come up and board, Atronia decided a new approach. Grabbing the top edge of the coach, she swung herself up onto the roof, turning to the guard who unsheathed his blade.

"Oy, stupido!" she yelled at him. The soldier turned, slightly losing his balance. Standing up slowly, she reached for her back and chucked one of her throwing knives at him. A yell escaped his mouth as she pushed him off. More and more guards began to jump onto the carriage, while Ezio was managing to drive over bumpy dirt roads.

Suddenly, a guard that was holding onto the edge grabbed her foot and caused her to fall back, hitting her head on the wood roof of the coach.

"Atronia!" Leonardo yelled, urgency iminate in his voice. Dazed, Atronia sat up holding her head in pain. Another agile guard lept onto the roof, immediately drawing his blade and aiming for the assassin's throat. Dodging it sent the guard's face straight into the roof, allowing Atronia to kick him off. She stood up, stumbling slightly as two guards climbed up, one on each side of her. Drawing her swords, she began to fight with them. Vanquishing one didn't take long, but as soon as she did that, the other guard managed to push her, causing her to fall over again. This time, off the wagon completely. Before Atronia could hit the ground, she grabbed the flapping open door, causing a stabbing pain to rip through her arm. A scream escaped her mouth, alerting the two driving.

"Leonardo, hide quickly!" Ezio yelled. Leonardo went through the hatch in the roof, but didn't find much cover with the back doors open. His face became surprised seeing Atronia hanging on for life from one of them, even though the pain was becoming unbearable. He crawled to the rear end and extended his hand, careful not to reach too far out.

"Atti! Grab my hand!" he shouted. Atronia moved her free hand to his. Leonardo's smooth grip sent a tingle down her spine as he pulled her in. The wagon shifted at a turn and that sent to two flying to the opposite side, ending with Atronia awkwardly on top of the engineer. Speechless, the assassin stuttered an apology and got off of Leo, not meeting his gaze again. Leonardo, red in the face, adjourned back to Ezio's side in the driver's seat. Atronia, remained in the back, feeling quite sick.

"They are here for me, not you! Go!" Ezio's voice echoed from atop of her. He lept from the carriage and began to fight off the remaining Borgia. About a half an hour later, Leonardo and Atronia arrived in Forli, quite banged up at the sudden battle. Regaining her composure from her strange antics on the battlefield, Atronia scooted to the back of the trailer and opened to doors, leaping out and forgetting the pain in her arm. The pain caused a wave of anger to surge through her. Slamming the door of the carriage, she slumped onto the ground. An exasperated sigh escaped her lungs. Leonardo rounded the corner, looking concerned.

"Atronia, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." she snapped, not daring to look up at him.

"If you'd at least let me check your arm-"

"I said I was fine, Leonardo." Atronia abruptly stood up, when Leonardo bent over to comfort her. Without another word, she walked away leaving Leonardo confused at her sudden change in attitude.

"Wakey wakey, Archer." a familiar British accent caused me to jerk into consciousness. Shaun was standing at the edge other end of my Animus, arms folded with a smirk on his face. With a roll of my eyes, I slowly stood up being careful not to pass out.

"You good, Caroline?" Lucy noticed my caution with concern.

"Yeah, just taking my time," I replied, stretching my sore legs and arms, "Where's Desmond?" I looked to my friend's Animus to see it empty. I worried for a moment he'd ran away, again.

"Just outside this room. We're gonna do a bit of training if you'd like to join us, Caroline." Lucy explained. I shook my head, I was stiff. Running was not what I needed at the moment. All I needed was a nice slow walk.

"I'm just gonna walk around, if you don't mind." I suggested, putting my hands into the rough pockets of my jeans. With that, Lucy exited the room. I followed a short time after, finally realizing I was not in the Italian Renaissance anymore. After I had turned a few corners and gone down a few staircases, I began to hear footsteps behind me and turned to see Shaun right on my tail.

"What do you want?" I asked, repelling his sarcasm back at him. For a moment, he stood, slightly shocked at my response to him following me.

"Oh, um," he was hesitant, "I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to pass out or anything," he peaked over the edge of the railing, "wouldn't want to fall off of here." I stared strangely at him, he wasn't acting normal.

"Are you okay?"

He blinked, "I'm just looking out for you," my eyes widened for a moment, "Nevermind, you, you just, keep walking. Sorry for bothering you…"

I stood, dumbfounded. Shaun's attitude towards me was seemingly… changing. He wasn't himself. _He was probably just worried. He would be worried if Desmond passed out too._ I thought. I continued my walk and when it was time to go back into the Animus, I did.

It was a long boat ride. Once Venice came into view, relief washed over all three of them. Once getting off the ship, it took a few moments for Atronia to gain balance on solid ground. Ezio almost fell over a few times, causing Atronia to burst into laughter.

They began to venture Venice in the hands of tourist Alvise de Vilandino. He continued on and on about how beautiful Venice was, only explaining the different large sites. Whenever they did reach something significant, he explained it's history, then continued onto how lovely the architecture was.

"Ah, Venezia! What other place is as beautiful, as stable, as perfect?" Alvise exclaimed, causing Atronia to cast an amused glance at Leo, who returned it. That was the first positive interaction they'd had with each other for the past few days. After Alvise finished his tour, the three wandered around for a bit, seeing the different sights of Venice.

While the three were at a shop, Ezio began to wander slightly, noticing a stand selling delicious smelling cakes. Once he noticed what he was wandering from the group, he turned back to see Atronia dying of laughter and Leonardo standing and laughing at her. Ezio stared for a moment. He hadn't seen his sister laugh that hard since Federico had fallen into a puddle a few weeks before the Auditores had been killed. He knew in his head that since the day she'd met Leonardo, there had been some kind of special connection. Now, however, Ezio felt that connection was growing stronger and stronger, and he intended to tease Atronia about that.

Later that day, Leonardo stopped at an art stand, noticing a small wooden figure.

"It's amazing, isn't it? Would you mind buying it for me? I left my money with my bags." Leonardo asked. Atronia glanced at Ezio, who returned her gaze with amusement, folding his arms. A group of people suddenly ran past while one of them, a girl, managed to shove Ezio.

"Cazzo!" he growled. The girl turned and smiled at him before running off again.

A few hours later, the two assassins found themselves at the Venetian Thieves guild. They had rescued the girl that had bumped Ezio, Rosa, from the Pazzi after being shot in the leg. They were guided back to the guild by Ugo, another thief. They were then introduced (acquainted in Atronia's case) with Antonio de Magianis, leader of the Venetian thieves.

From there, the thieves had revealed their next target. Emilio was their first objective in Venice.

Well, hello there! I do have an explanation this time. The chapters are subtly getting longer, and when I was in the middle of this chapter, I realized I had a ton to go, so I'll be writing way more often knowing these things. One more thing, sorry about the abrupt ending, the chapter was beginning to get lengthy. I've also been working more on developing other things for a novel idea I've been thinking about. I'm creating the world, so that takes up some time too. Also, regular school is starting up again, which means HOMEWORK, NO. I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Hope you guys don't mind! Feel free to leave comments and reviews! Thanks! - melvick462


	10. Chapter 9: Carnivals and Courtesans

It was a moonlit night in Venezia. The full orb in the sky gave off enough light for Atronia and Ezio to see into the Palazzo del Setta, where Carlo Grimaldi and Emilio Barbarigo held a short meeting. Carlo was eyeing the Palazzo walls and roof, afraid of something that was unknown to Emilio.

"Why are you so nervous, Carlo?" Emilio asked, confused by his partner's strange antics.

"It's just, the assassins. They've been on a kill streak." the other Templar mentioned, anxiously rubbing his hands together. Once he did, Emilio stopped in his tracks a nervous twitch entering his voice.

"The assassins, they are in Venezia?" he stuttered, eyeing his companion.

"They have been here for weeks, Emilio! How could you not have noticed?" Carlo argued. For a moment, it was silent between the two as they both realized they were probably in danger.

"You cannot blame me. I have been busy supplying weapons!" Emilio cried, ending the pitiful argument between the two.

"Never mind that! The Spaniard has issued a meeting a few nights from now. He expects all of us to be there. I expect he is going to rant on about the assassin that we're targeting." Carlo said, still looking around warily.

"Fine, fine, I will be there." Emilio muttered, growing tired of the conversation.

"Assuming we are still alive by then." Carlo mentioned, quickly walking out of the Palazzo. Atronia glanced at Ezio, who stood next to her. They'd been sitting on the roof for the past few minutes, listening in on the Templars' conversation.

 _They want to kill off one certain assassin?_ She worried for Ezio. He'd more damage in two months than Giovanni had done in one year. But she didn't like to think her brother could be in danger.

"Well?" Atronia waved an offer at Emilio.

"Go ahead, sister. You can take this one." Ezio laughed, making the same gesture. Rolling her eyes, she walked away, scanning for the perfect point to strike. Once she found a good spot, she crouched there for a moment, waiting for the perfect time.

Fear hung in the palazzo, Atronia could feel it in the air. It was in every guard and especially in the Barbarigo. He paced, muttering at how Carlo was right. The assassins were going to make a move.

"You! Get my ship ready, we are leaving this place!" Emilio shouted, beginning to move towards the entrance. Balancing on her small ledge, Atronia was ready for the assassination. As soon as the Templar was in sight below her, she lept while unsheathing her hidden blade. A few seconds later, she was on top of Emilio with her blade in his chest. The deed was done, now to get information.

"No! It's too soon!" Emilio choked. He hesitated his pleading and studied her as if he wasn't expecting a female, "Ah, you're the one."

"The one?" she hesitated, "W-What do you mean?" stuttering, she grew more nervous and frustrated.

"See you soon in hell, assassino." he laughed and fell into darkness.

"What do you mean, pezzo de merda?" she argued. Without an answer, she shoved the dead Templar to the ground. Ezio landed a few feet away from her as she did so. There was no point in arguing with a dead man. As the guards began to notice, the two sprinted out of the Palazzo. A few blocks away, Atronia frustratedly kicked a wall.

"I could've gotten something out of him, Ezio. I swear." she sighed, leaning against the same wall. Ezio only watched in silence.

"Well, we know about the meeting. That's something." Ezio replied, encouraging his sister as much as he could.

Two months passed with no exceedingly daring events in between. The thieves had managed to get news and information of their next target, Carlo Grimaldi, and how he had broken down on security since Emilio had died.

Ezio's idea may have been insane, but he was right. In Atronia's eyes, the plan wouldn't work, but after all the banter they went through, the idea ended up working. You could say Leonardo's new flying machine came in handy.

Later the same night, Ezio returned to Leonardo's workshop in a fluster. It had been done, but like they expected security was tight. Ezio showed Leonardo a new codex page, which included a new design.

"A gun, for your wrist?" Atronia wondered, staring at the new contraption once it was finished. Leonardo nodded with a smile. The assassins then went outside to practice a new technique with their hidden gun.

A few days later, Marco Barbarigo became their next target, and that's when things got… interesting.

 _Why did I agree to do this? Merda, I look like an absolute idiota._ Atronia thought to herself, looking down at the outfit she was wearing. It had been a while since Marco Barbarigo came out of hiding and Carnevale was their chance to get at him.

"Listen, Atronia, if we are to kill Marco Barbarigo, we need one of us in disguise. That would be you." Ezio had told her earlier that day.

"What? Why me? What would I go dressed as anyway?" Atronia replied, folding her arms. She was even more angry when Ezio's gaze moved to a group of courtesans on the other side of the street.

It had taken more than enough persuasion to get Atronia to finally give into the idea. She still disapproved of it, but it was for the mission, for Venezia. The local courtesans had helped of course, telling her she looked lovely. Ignoring their encouragement, Atronia left the room, feeling more revealed than she ever had in her life. They'd even found the most concealing outfit for her, but she still felt weird. Discomfort would reside in her stomach for the rest of the week, she knew it.

Ezio was waiting outside.

"I'm going to kill you, you pezzo de merda." she snapped, glaring straight at him. He let out a hearty laugh.

"Come on, Atti, show me your best acting." Ezio continued to mock her. Her annoyed gaze stayed straight on him. She took out her fan and let it fall open.

"Ta da." she deadpanned. Ezio chuckled.

"It's time," Teodora Contanto, the brothel owner, came up to them, "Marco will be out soon to speak in front of the people. There, you will take your chance to kill him. Now go, my girls will be willing to help you." Ezio nodded, looking intensely at Atronia, who returned that with a continuous glare.

"Let's just get this over with." she muttered.

"What do you say we go back casa mia, madonna?"

 _Grazie a Dio that's not me._ Atronia let out a sigh of relief as another courtesan walked away with another soldier. There were only two of them left and Atronia was getting worried. If the last one left her, she would be lone prey for all the… men.

"Don't worry, Ms. Auditore, I won't be leaving you. I was assigned to stay by your side." the last courtesan murmured to her, as if reading her mind.

Atronia only nodded, but her mind flooded with relieving thoughts. Her eyes scanned the crowd for Ezio. He said he'd be coming around this time. A white hood finally caught her eye and she watched as he moved through the crowd in a group of courtesans.

 _Why couldn't he have dressed up?_

There were only a few soldiers left in the area. Some other courtesans had taken care of a good number of the men. Although, the few guards left worried Atronia more than being approached by a drunk man. One particular guard had turned towards Ezio's group, slowly walking towards him.

"Stay here." Atronia told the other courtesan, walking slowly in the same direction as the guard. While she walked over to the guard, she fingered her knife.

"Wait!" the other courtesan quickly ran up to her, "If you kill him, that will bring too much attention and warn Barbarigo! Think of something else." An idea entered Atronia's brain quickly.

"Cazzo," she muttered, "I am going to regret this." She continued her approach on the guard, this time going a little faster with a plan in mind. She grabbed the man by the shoulder, spun him around and pressed her lips into his. The courtesan watching only face-palmed.

Even though the act was poorly executed and definitely not what a courtesan would do, it worked. The guard was to stunned to notice Ezio, which gave her brother the time to aim his new hidden gun at Marco and go through with the assassination. After a startled moment the guard finally pushed her away.

"What the-" he spun around again, noticing that Marco had been shot. When he turned back around, Atronia was nowhere in sight.

A few feet away, the other courtesan was scolding Atronia, "You realize that's not even _close_ to how courtesans work, right?"

"Ah per favore, it was worth a shot and it worked!" Atronia didn't care about how courtesans worked or how well the mission went, all she wanted to do was get back into her normal robes.

Once they had returned to the brothel, Atronia had gotten into her robes within a few minutes. When she exited the room, Ezio entered the house, looking quite tired..

"Nice distraction, Atti. That was… unexpected." he walked in, smiling at his victory.

"I did what had to be done, but I am never doing it again." she replied, smoothing down her robes, enjoying herself much more now that she wasn't wearing nearly nothing anymore.

Atronia studied her brother, he wasn't just tired but exhausted. She felt sympathy for him. He'd done a ton of hard work in the past few months and the assassins had only stood in the background watching. He needed to at least sleep for one night.

"Ezio, I know this doesn't sound like me because I don't necessarily support what happens here," she hesitated, "stay and sleep, please." He looked oddly at her, but he understood her concern for his health. He nodded in return and walked away. After Ezio disappeared, Atronia sought Sister Teodora.

"Atronia, are you leaving?" the courtesan she'd worked with came up to her.

"Sí. I'm going to go see a friend. Grazie for all your help, amico mio. What's your name?" Atronia wondered, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Francesca." the courtesan replied, holding out a hand for her to shake. Atronia took it and a new bond was formed. Sister Teodora walked up to the two acquaintances, breaking up the conversation.

"Sister, I was looking for you."

"Are you leaving?" she asked urgently.

"Sí. Why, is something wrong?" Atronia warily glanced at Teodora, trying to find out what had happened.

"Oh, nothing too dramatic. Just a doubling in the guards. They're looking for anyone in a white hood. Anyone. Not just Ezio. I suggest normal attire if you are to exit this building."

"Do you have anything for me to wear?"

Now, Atronia was walking through Venice in a fine red silk dress that Teodora had offered. It came with her own personal fan and mask to hide her identity, in case someone tried to recognized her.

Ezio had stayed with the courtesans, and now Atronia wandered the streets, taking in the beautiful sights of Carnevale with no ideas of who to seek out popping into her head. Rosa didn't necessarily like her. Antonio? No, he was a mentor, that would be awkward…

 _Ah! Of course! Leo! Why didn't I think of him before?_ Finally, the thought had passed through her mind. She, confident that the night would be much more exciting with Leo, changed directions towards his workshop. Close to a skip, the assassin finally arrived at the engineer's doorway. A nervous twitch finally entered her stomach. She had a feeling he was still uncomfortable due to her antics in Forlí. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door. She heard a crash come from inside. It was normal that Leo took a few moments to get to the door. He didn't have visitors very often. The door finally swung open.

"Ah! Forgive me, madonna. I wasn't expecting anyone on a night like this!" Leo smiled, adjusting his beret and taking a few moments to realize it was Atronia he was talking to. "Oh! Atti! Come in, sorry, I'm just…"

"Distracted?" she finished his sentence for him, walking in after him.

"Heh, yes. You could say that." he replied, laughing to himself a little bit. He took a moment to notice what Atronia was wearing and what she actually looked like. He froze, studying her. This was not normal for Atronia Auditore. A dress? A mask? Hair down? She looked… beautiful. Breaking out of his gaze before she could notice, Leonardo continued, "Anyway, uh, what can I do for you?" Atronia hesitated. She was close to saying, 'Would you like to go out with me?' but deciding that was not the correct way to go, she chose a different route.

"Well, I'm bored and you… you are a person who doesn't get out much." Leonardo gave her a confused stare while she took off her mask. Realizing she had delivered that terribly, she went straight forward from there. "Oh, merda. Leo, we are going to go have a fun time tonight. Get a mask on and let's go." His expression turned to surprise, then to a strange version of disgust, as if going out would give him a disease, "Please!" she urged him on, even through his doubtful glance.

"Well, okay." he replied, still looking a little flustered from how fast the last few minutes had gone. He turned away to find a mask and after some digging and opening dusty old boxes, he found a sufficient one. Replacing her own, Atronia opened the door and gestured to the outdoors. Leonardo chuckled and shook his head, walking out of the ajar entrance.

They walked down many different Venice roads, talking and laughing. They dodged other people walking at them, managing to bump into each other, only causing more laughter. Later in the night, they found themselves in a small courtyard area. Music rang through the air, echoing off of the walls, as did the fireworks. Dancing and laughter was seen throughout the people. Everything was good, including Atronia's mood, which hadn't been that way for a very long time.

The crowd dancing caught her eye. Atronia had danced many time in Firenze with Ezio. The style seemed very similar in Venice. She turned to Leonardo with a smile, "Would you like to dance?" His face turned to surprise.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm not much of a dancer. You go ahead, I'll be here." Leo replied, his face going slightly red.

"Are you sure?" Atronia said, taking a step towards him.

"Of course, go." he waved a hand towards the crowd. Atronia gave him a sympathetic smile then walked to find a partner to dance with. She scanned the area, noticing a man standing alone, clapping along with the music. He was rather attractive. Tall, built and black haired. She walked up to him, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Ciao, messere. Would you care to dance?" she politely asked, curtseying. She noticed something about the man. It wasn't familiar, in fact he felt more like an outsider.

"But of course, Madame, it would be my pleasure." he bowed, and kissed her hand, causing her to blush. He was definitely from France, his accent gave it all away. His solid jawline was outlined, and his eyes glowed blue in the night and his dark hair gleamed in the moonlight.

"You are not from these parts, I presume." Atronia guessed as they entered the group of dancers.

"Oui, I am from Southern France. You are from here, are you not?"

"Firenze, messere," she replied, "but I have been visiting here for the past few months. Say, I never caught your name."

"Corbeau Boivin-Lebeau, and your name my lady?"

"Atronia Auditore da Firenze."

"Ah, what a lovely name, Ms. Auditore. It is Ms., am I correct?" he continued to flirt with her. Leonardo stared solemnly from a distance. After a few minutes, the dance was over.

"Grazie for the lovely dance, messere."

"It is I, who should be thanking you, Atronia." he winked, kissed her hand and wished her a good night. With a giggle, Atronia watched Corbeau walk away. She turned back to Leonardo who stood waiting for her on the other side of the courtyard. She began to feel guilty, or maybe regret for leaving him behind. Quickly walking over, she gave him a smile.

"Well, how was your dance?" he grinned in return.

"I've had better. For some reason, Ezio and Federico seems to be a better dancer than other men." she laughed, having it fade once she mentioned her oldest brother. He chuckled in return, the air beginning to feel a bit more awkward than usual.

"What would you like to do now?" Atronia piped up, breaking the silence. Leonardo shrugged then silently pointed to a small cake shop a few feet away, "Oh, I see, you're hungry?" Leonardo laughed as the two walked over to the shop.

"Well hello there, my friends! What can I get for you?" the shopkeeper belted out in a speech he used everyday, displaying what kind of delicacies he had to offer. All that talk drowned out in Leonardo's head and he looked over at Atronia. She looked beautiful, and he couldn't keep that thought out of his head. He didn't necessarily want the thought, but maybe he'd thought that every day he'd seen her. Everything came back to reality once the shopkeeper's speech ended.

"Ah, I'll take that one! What about you?" Atronia chose hers then looked up to Leo. Atronia silently watched as her friend sarcastically looked and chose his treat. She chuckled a little. After buying their food, they walked to a nearby bench and ate there. They watched the fireworks burst overhead and little ashes fall into the street. After another few minutes, they began to walk back to Leo's workshop. They continued to laugh and shove each other on purpose into walls and sometimes people.

Once they neared the workshop, Leonardo became very quiet. He stopped in the middle of the street and Atronia, concerned for her friend, turned back to him and put a hand on his arm. He seemed to be debating something in his own head.

"Leo? Are you okay?" she asked, trying to meet his gaze. His deep blue eyes were nervous and fidgeting until they met hers. When that happened, Atronia's stomach did a summersault and she inhaled sharply. He glanced away, grinning slightly. His inward debate had ended.

"Come with me." he murmured, grabbing her hand and pulling her in his direction.

"What? Where are we going?" she exclaimed as they turned a corner into a docked area. Small waves lapped up against the channel walls, causing drops of water to spray onto the top of Atronia's feet. Leonardo went onto the wooden dock and climbed into a gondola. The assassin smiled warily, looking around for guards.

"Don't worry, Auditore. I rented this boat, I promise." he said, grinning and stretching a hand for her to take. She took it and stepped into the boat, nearly falling into the water. Leonardo grabbed her waist, pulling her back on with Atronia blushing furiously.

"Careful." he smiled, helping her sit. He moved to the back and grabbed the helm. He began to paddle into the channel. Atronia gave him a confused glance, perplexed at the sudden change in plans. After a few minutes, they came into an opening where they could see the sky. Fireworks of green, blue and red exploded above their heads. Leonardo found his seat across from Atronia.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he murmured, staring into the sky then at his friend.

"Sí, it is." she smiled at him, still recovering from her near fall getting into the boat. The friends realized they had formed a real bond over the past few years, one that Leo had noticed much more than Atronia had. There was still a silence between the two, but it was no longer awkward or tense. The rest of the tension slipped away when Leonardo said what he said next.

"Atronia, I need to get something off of my chest that I've been holding onto for a very long time." Atronia looked at him, he seemed excited. Of course, that's who Leonardo was, but there was a kind of nervousness in his tone, "I-" he hesitated once more, "I think… I love you."

Atronia's side smile turned into an expression of awe and amazement. A particularly loud firework exploded over their heads, Atronia's mind exploded with it. After all this time, after all these years of loving Leonardo Da Vinci, she finds he feels the same way. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words escaped it. Her vocal chords quit functioning and she simply stared at him, but they were friends, he knew what she was thinking. She could hear her own heart pounding in her chest. He moved his hands forward to take off her mask, tilted her head up and leaned forward, letting his soft lips press against her own.

For a brief second, Atronia was surprised she was letting this happen, but her love for Leonardo overcame all doubts. Any nervous flutters in her stomach or brain simply vanished. Everything around them became silent, even the fireworks became muffled noises in the background. It was just the two old friends becoming more than just friends. All thoughts of anything else slipped away when Leo pulled her closer, one of his hands caressing her cheek. He ran his fingers through her hair as they let go. For a moment they sat there, staring into each other's eyes. It took a moment, but Leonardo finally spoke up.

"You were saying?"

"I do too." Atronia replied, smiling at him.

It was the perfect scene as the two laughed and talked in the channel on their gondola. He hadn't seen all of it, but it was the scene Ezio himself had witnessed. He watched from behind a pillar on the streets not too far from where they sat. He grinned slightly, chuckling to himself. Turning around and letting them have their privacy, he walked away while mumbling a single word, "Finally."

AAAAH GUYS! I've been so eager for this chapter that I wrote it faster than I've wrote any other chapters. I hope I edited it okay and all… I hope most of you have stayed too, things are gonna get a little more mysterious. I've been really stalling to finish this chapter but with some pushing from a friend, I've finally finished it. My next chapter will come soon most likely. As we're reaching the climax of the story, it will be getting much more fun to write! Anyway, leave comments and reviews and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chapter and thanks for reading! - melvick462


	11. Chapter 10: Roma

The Palazzo came into view once again. Atronia skipped down the streets, occasionally not watching where she was going. Today was the day Ezio and Atronia would meet the new Doge. The one who would replace Marco.

Atronia was in the greatest mood she'd been in in a long time. The night before had been seemingly, magical. Her thoughts were spiralling in so many different directions. She felt relieved, but at the same time a bit afraid. Would she tell Ezio? She knew he'd noticed her interest in Leonardo a long time ago, would he figure out even more? She wasn't sure if it mattered to Leo or not. Her feelings began to mix and her good mood faded slightly.

Keeping up her positive look she entered the Palazzo, having been slightly later than everyone else. As she walked in Ezio glanced at her, a smile lighting his face.

"Atti! Good to see you!" he seemed too nice. Something was up.

"Good morning, brother…" Atronia said, quite confused at his attitude. Ezio had never been a morning person. They walked towards Antonio and the Doge, who were talking together.

"Ah, Ezio, Atronia! I would like you to meet the new Doge of Venezia." Antonio introduced Agostino Barbarigo, the next in line. Atronia and Ezio bowed slightly, and introduced themselves to the Doge. The conversation went onto how impressed Agostino had been of their works in Venice. However, Atronia wasn't necessarily focused on that, at least until he brought their next targets up. Silvio Barbarigo and his right hand man, Dante Moro. She'd seen both of these men before during Templar meetings. Silvio wasn't very intimidating, however Dante was large, bulky and incredibly strong. Defeating him wouldn't be easy.

"Atronia, Antonio says an ally has been captured. He'll need our help and we'll need his." Ezio exclaimed, obnoxiously close to her face. Startled, she jumped back, while giving her brother a glare.

"Why do you have to be so annoying?" she snapped, folding her arms in a rather immature way. Ezio chuckled as she continued to glare.

"So, how was your night out?" he grinned, hiding it as soon as Atronia's steely gaze shot to his face. She immediately whipped around and pointed a finger at him.

"What do you know, Ezio?" she growled, not allowing him to take another step. "Ezio!"

He laughed, "Ah, that my little sister is in love." he embraced her just like when they were younger, noogying her on the top of the head. People began to stare as she shoved her way out of his grasp, his laughter echoing off of the street walls.

"Do you mind not making a scene, idiota?" she snapped, resisting the urge to slap him across the face. "I swear, if you tell a soul," she unsheathed her hidden blade dangerously close to Ezio's chin, "I _will_ give you another scar." Again, he only replied to that with laughter.

Darkness laid over the rooftops of Venice. The city, however, was illuminated by the lights of the citizen's lanterns. The full moon also gave light for Atronia as she glided across the rooftops in an attempt to rescue Bartolomeo d'Alviano, a local mercenary fighting against the Templars who was also an assassin.

"Alright, last courtyard, Ezio had better be clearing out the other ones." she muttered to herself. Her attitude towards her brother hadn't changed much since the morning, but she was slowly letting go of her foul feelings. The courtyard looked somewhat clear, just a few guards standing in the way of the entrance of Bartolomeo's cell. The assassin crept down the wall above the soldiers and landed on a small wooden plank sticking out of the building. Keeping her balance, she unsheathed her hidden blades and lept onto the two guards, sinking the blades into their backs. As she stood up, she noticed that the mercenary didn't look relieved to see her but rather annoyed.

"What?" she questioned, "Do you want to stay in the cell?" Pulling out the key, Atronia quickly unlocked the door and helped Bartolomeo out.

"I don't know if I should kiss you or slap you. Maybe both just to be safe."

"Neither will be fine, d'Alviano." Atronia said, holding out a hand for him to shake instead. He accepted it gratefully with a grin on his face. The clang of armor came crashing into the courtyard, startling both of them. "Go, I'll hold them off."

"I can fight."

"Without a weapon?"

Bartolomeo glanced to his belt where his sheath sat empty. "Get out of here." she smiled, pulling out her swords. Bartolomeo ran the opposite direction, escaping just before they saw him. Atronia quickly took out the remaining guards.

Later that evening, the assassin returned to the Palazzo where Ezio was waiting for her. They began the works of a plan against Silvio and Dante. The complicated thing was, the two Templars would both have to be taken out very soon in order to get at the Spaniard. They would have to be taken out the next night. Reports from the Courtesans said that Silvio and Dante would be out that night. It would be their perfect opportunity to perform the assassinations.

Once again, Atronia's footsteps lightly echoed across the rooftops as she ran to meet Ezio at the rendezvous point. As she neared it, the clanging of swords echoed off of the stone walls.

"He started without me! I can't believe that little…" she kept from saying foul words and entered into the battle by leaping onto two guards who were approaching Bartolomeo. The assassins had informed the mercenary of their plan to kill Silvio Barbarigo and Dante Moro, and he had agreed to let them use his men. There had been a place the Templars were going to meet, that was the rendezvous point, but clearly Ezio had become impatient and started the battle.

"Nice of you to _wait_ for me, brother." Atronia said, running over to Ezio whilst blocking a sword from hitting him in the back.

"Mi dispiace, Atronia. We had a bit of a mishap."

"I can tell." she growled. Her sword found its way into a soldier's ribcage. After that, she turned to see Silvio and Dante fleeing. "Quick," she yelled, "after them!" She sprinted after them unknowing that most of the mercenaries and Ezio had in fact stayed behind. Even though Dante was quite slow and Atronia caught up to him quickly, he still had plenty of strength in his swing. Using agility was key in this situation. More guards began to enter the street, creating a circle around the assassin. As soon as that happened, the assassin's army charged in, beginning another small battle in the streets. The war forged on for only a few minutes while Silvio shouted curses from a building.

While soldiers fought mercenaries, Atronia's war was with Dante and it wasn't easily fought. He had managed to shove her to the ground multiple times. However, her agility wasn't easy to manage when he carried a huge battle axe.

After moments of fighting, Silvio called Dante away while Atronia was distracted with another guard. She turned, watching him run away with Silvio. She turned to Ezio who just finished off another soldier.

"Go! My men and I will hold off the rest! Do _not_ let them leave Venice." Bartolomeo shouted over the clanging of swords and armor. Ezio and Atronia nodded, running quickly in the other direction. While running, conversation of tactics began to increase between them.

"I'll get Silvio, you take Dante?" Ezio offered. Atronia confirmed the idea with a quick nod. They both took off at a higher pace. The Templars had to be close to their boat by now. Shouts echoed from down the street. Sprinting faster, the two managed to catch up with their enemies. They had stuck together, strangely enough and that gave the assassins the perfect advantage; cooperation in fighting.

"It's over, Barbarigo." Ezio shouted as the Templars made their way into a dead end. Atronia drew her swords, preparing for the fight. Dante made the first move, running up to Atronia and swinging his axe. Luckily, she dodged it quickly before it hit her. Ezio had charged for Silvio during the distraction, clearly having the advantage.

"You have no chance against me, assassin." Dante taunted, swinging his axe and missing, again. Atronia smiled, walking slowly around the bodyguard, studying his weak points. Sheathing one sword, she aimed a blow at his side with her hidden blade, quickly switching her other sword from her right hand to her left. He grabbed her hand, just as she expected. She then aimed her sword at his back, which was perfectly open for her to attack. What she didn't expect him to do was twist her arm back, causing her shoulder to explode with pain. With a yelp, she managed to get her sword into his abdomen. They both fell to the ground in unison, Dante still gripping the assassin's wrist. Atronia quickly sat up to question the dying man.

"Where is your boat going?" she asked, not yet drawing her sword from his stomach. Her shoulder was still throbbing, but she attempted to ignore it while she talked. Ezio had clearly asked the same question.

"Why would I tell you?" Atronia heard Silvio's voice from a few feet away. Suddenly, the pain in her shoulder became greater as Dante grabbed her arm and shoved it upwards.

"Cyprus," he said, hatred glimmering in his dying eyes, "they are going to Cyprus. They are going to, to find…" The Templar didn't finish as his last breath slipped away. The pain in Atronia's arm decreased drastically as the pressure from Dante's grasp was released. Gasping in relief, Atronia nearly fell over but landed with her strong hand on the stone pavement.

"Atti!" Ezio walked over to her, helping her onto her feet.

"I'm fine, Ezio!" she snapped, trying to get up with one hand. Ezio watched as she struggled to her feet, stumbling slightly, "Okay, maybe not as much as I thought." Ezio laughed and helped her down the pathways of Venice, both of them tired, yet content with their progress. Yet another set of Templar assets killed. This only led them closer and closer to the Spaniard.

Atronia's arm was in a sling. It didn't bother most people, but it definitely bothered her, a lot. Constantly wanting to take it off, Atronia was desperate to straighten her arm and use her hidden blade again. It had been a week or so since the encounter with Silvio and Dante and the doctor had confirmed that the injury wasn't severe.

"It's just a minor sprain! Should heal in a week or so." the plague-masked man had told her. However, hope that she would be able to use her arm seemed far off to Atronia. Even with the constant comfort of Ezio, it seemed scarce.

On one particular day in which she waited for her arm to heal, Ezio suggested she visit Leonardo. The idea brightened her mood and she exited the thieve's headquarters.

Making her way through the streets of Venice was becoming easier and easier. In the time they'd been there, Venice had become somewhat of a second home, an easy place to get used to. No wonder Leonardo enjoyed it so much. After thinking over the past few days, she found herself at the engineer's door. She no longer found herself nervous to see him, she was excited. Atronia quietly knocked on the door, hoping not to disturb anyone inside. Surprisingly enough, no loud crash echoed from inside, only a few footsteps as Leo drew closer to the door.

The door flew open, and even if Leo hadn't taken long to get there, he looked rather ragged. His face, somewhat dirty, lit up as soon as he noticed it was Atronia. His smile faded, however, once he noticed her arm.

"Come in, quickly." he waved her inside and she entered, looking concernedly at him.

"Leo, are you-"

"Are you okay?" he interrupted, looking overly concerned for her health. Atronia laughed.

"Of course, but you look worse than I do." she said, drawing closer and laying her free hand on his cheek, "What have you been doing in here?" she began to notice a strange stench coming from the room they were in and didn't cease to say so.

"Uh…" Leo rubbed the back of his neck, "Experimenting?" Atronia laughed again, looking around the cluttered room. "So, what has brought you here?" he continued.

"Boredom. I can't do anything with this pezzo de merda, so Ezio has to do… about everything." she muttered, looking down at her sling. Leo smiled and began to pick up the his messed up desk.

"I probably look like a mess." he sighed, setting down what he picked up and running his fingers through his hair.

"Well," Atronia said, walking over to him, "you're my mess, and I will help you clean up." She kissed him and picked up what she could with one hand. He laid his hand on hers and wrapped his fingers around it.

"Thank you, mio caro." he whispered, kissing her again.

After being there most of the afternoon, Atronia decided she should be heading back to the guild.

"That was fun." Leo laughed, attempting to wipe a smudge of paint off of Atronia's cheek, only making it worse. Both of them laughed as they had multiple times that day. Atronia managed to get the paint off, then looked up at Leo and smiled. She pecked him on the nose and walked towards the door.

"Ciao, Leonardo." she quickly exited the building, making her way back to Antonio's. She felt as if nothing could change her content mood. She thought wrong.

"Atronia!" Leo's voice called from the doorway, "Look out!" Just as she turned, a man attempted to smack her across the back of the head with a wooden stick. She noticed the man was hooded, like an assassin. However, he was highly trained, much more than herself. He was tall, well built and wore dark blue robes, a similar style to her own.

"Hey, we're on the same side!" she snapped at him. Atronia attempted to find his face hidden behind the hood but was unlucky enough not to see it.

"You're coming with me, Madame." he replied. Atronia's eyes widened, she knew that voice from somewhere. In this distraction, the man lowered his weapon as another hit Atronia in the back of the head, successfully knocking her out.

"Atronia!" Leonardo began running after the men who had taken her. After a short amount of time, he lost them in the crowds of people. "Atti!"  
Leonardo hastily returned to his workshop with the intention of finding his friend Ezio as soon as possible. It didn't take long, as Ezio had come to check up on Atronia himself. A knock sounded from the doorway.

"Ezio! I was just coming to look for you!" Leonardo shouted in a panicked rush. Ezio became extremely confused at his friend's current state.

"What? What's happened?" Ezio said, panic rising in his voice.

"Men! They came and they took Atronia! I don't know where. I tried chasing them and got lost in the crowd. They looked like your allies!"

"They were assassins?" Ezio snapped. He turned away from the door and Leo, scanning the crowd. "They can't have gotten far. I will find her." Ezio ran into the crowds of people, scanning keenly to find his lost sister.

Nearly falling out of her seat caused Atronia to jerk awake. Before she could notice her surroundings, her head began to throb in pain and nearly caused her to pass out again.

"Don't move too fast!" a voice hissed.

"I wasn't! It's not my fault the horses decide to ride right over anything they want!" another familiar sounding voice defensively snarled in return.

"Will you two stop bickering and shut up?" a third, calmer voice spoke across from her. Atronia finally regained her senses, and the throbbing decreased slightly.

"Sorry, boss." the second voice called and everything remained silent except for the soft 'clip-clop' of the horses hooves and four wheels riding over gravel.

"Ah, I see you've awakened." the man across from her spoke. These captors certainly weren't hardcore. No restraints held her back, there was no light glinting off of any weapons. There wasn't much light in the first place. Even her sling was off. Clearly these people were being kind.

Squinting, Atronia attempted to find out her location. As if reading her mind, the man spoke again, "I hope you aren't worried. You aren't here to hurt you, Ms. Auditore. We are on our way to another city, one of which you will begin your new task."

Atronia found a discreet outline of the man's body. It was dark outside, making it much harder for her to focus.

"I see you are still concerned." the man said, shifting his position.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she muttered, finally figuring out where she was, "I get attacked in the streets and all of a sudden, I'm in a coach." She could tell the man across from her was expressionless. "If you aren't here to harm me, who are you and what do you want with me?"

"We are assassins just like you, Atronia." he answered, "The two idioti in the front are Russo Capello and Corbeau Boivin-Lebeau, colleagues of mine." Atronia's eyes widened.

"What?" she muttered, remembering the dance she'd shared with the Frenchman not yet a month ago.

"Nice to see you again, Mentor!" Russo's cheery voice said, "Oh, and sorry for knocking you senseless with a wooden stick."

"A pleasure once again, Madame." Corbeau followed up.

" _You're_ an assassin, Corbeau? _He's_ an assassin?" Atronia gawked, having the urge to get up, get out of the carriage and slap him in the face. A small chuckle came from the front.

"Good, you are catching on."

"Enough." the man across from her began to seem annoyed, "Mario Auditore has told me of your skills. I'd like to put you to the test, see if he truly means it." he interrupted. Atronia's gaze moved towards his outline again at the mention of her uncle. Now her trust was fully with the three men.

"Who are _you_ then, messere?" Atronia continued, eager to live up to her uncle's expectations.

"My name is Niccoló Machiavelli. I am here to give you your newest task in Roma."

Francesca Gatti made her way through the crowds of people, blending as if she were one of them. She was no longer dressed in the garments of a courtesan, but instead she wore the robes of an assassin. She had decided to give up her seduction of men and move to a more noble cause, the assassin order. Of course, Antonio had been willing to let her in but that wasn't necessarily weird as of late.

It had been two years since the disappearance of Atronia Auditore, Ezio's sister and Francesca's good friend. No one would give up that she was still out there, alive. At the same time, everyone had their doubts. Ezio had continued to search for the Spaniard, however he wasn't focused. He was strong, but he needed Atronia by his side. She kept him in line. Her disappearance had taken everyone by surprise and it hit everyone equally hard.

Only Ezio and Antonio truly knew who it had hit the worst, and that was Leonardo. Very rarely did the engineer exit his workshop, even Ezio seemed to be unable to reach him. Was he wallowing in grief? Creating a plan? No one knew.

This particular week, Francesca was assigned a mission. Her very first mission in Rome. She found her way through the crowds of people, blending from her training in the brothel. Excitement panged in her stomach as she was on her way to find her assigned target. Antonio had told her to see Niccoló Machiavelli, the leader of the assassins there. She had done that and now was on her way to see the spies on the border wall of Rome.

As Francesca entered the hideout, Russo Capello, one of Atronia's friends yelped from a different room.

"Who's there?"

"Francesca Gatti. Niccoló Machiavelli told me to come see you about one of my targets." she called back. Russo came out of the room, looking quite ragged. Dirt and blood spattered his robes as he studied the assassin. Nodding, he summoned her in his direction.

"I'll give you information in exchange for help." he muttered, walking again into the separate room. As Francesca entered after him, a foul stench caused her to gag for a moment. Stopping where she stood, she placed a gloved hand over her mouth. Finding the source of the smell wasn't hard. The whole room was a clutter.

"Is that horse manure, Russo?" another man walked into the room. His appearance surprised her. He definitely wasn't from Italy. He was handsome and well groomed, unlike Russo, at least at the current moment.

"Uh… no. No it's not, Corbeau." Russo replied, moving towards the corpse of a human lying on a table.

"Is that person dead?" Francesca exclaimed, staring at the body. It wasn't an assassin, thank goodness. However, the two others were proving to be rather strange.

"Oh, yes. We were, uh, hiding it from the Borgia." the former thief replied, running his hands through his short brown hair.

"Russo, I know Atronia is gone recently, but that doesn't mean you have to be a messy rat." the other assassin, Corbeau snarled after nearly stepping in a pile of manure.

"I'm sorry, Corbeau, but maybe if you helped a little around here, this place would be thriving! Machiavelli has been on my tail ever since Atronia left. I've gotten no-"

"Wait, what?" Francesca's eyes widened in surprise, "Atronia is alive?" The two men exchanged a glance. Russo rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, sí. I'm sure those of you in Venezia have been quite troubled." he muttered, half to himself.

"We are the ones who took her away from Venezia in the first place," Corbeau continued, leaning against a small table not too far from the dead Borgia soldier, "Machiavelli required it. And apparently the orders came from the boss, Mario Auditore."

"Wow," Russo gawked, "I wish I could just meet Mario!"

"Where can I find her?" Francesca ignored the rest of the conversation.

"I'm afraid she left for Venezia yesterday, in order to see her brother for his birthday," Corbeau explained, a disgusted look on his face, "and apparently things can go awry in less than twenty-four hours." he glared at his partner who simply shrugged.

It was happening all over again. Except this time, she wouldn't make a mistake. A hooded figure stood, hidden amongst the people of Venice, waiting for things to get heated up front. The assassin had hired mercenaries to interrupt the hanging before their brother was killed. The figure began to slowly push her way forward, grabbing people's shoulders and shoving them aside. That was the cue for the mercenaries to distract the soldiers.

"Stop them!" guards were already on top of her men. She ran forward silently, her robes whisping past the legs of citizens, the guards completely unaware she was there. Unsheathing her hidden blades, she lept forward onto the gallows and dodged a sword. Finding a stomach with her hidden blade, she threw a knife at the rope that nearly killed the mercenary.

The hole opened beneath him and the mercenary fell to the ground, unharmed yet startled. While the rest of her men fought the guards, the assassin ran and helped him out of the hole. Once he climbed out, his eyes widened at the fight that was occurring over him.

"Grazie. But this isn't necessary." he said humbly, still gazing around.

"For any brother, it is necessary, no matter what class you're in." she replied, releasing her grip on his wrist, "Quick. Let's get out of here." They slipped away from the fight, not letting any guard who saw them get away. Once they had escaped the battle, they made their way to the mercenary guild. The stroll was rather pleasant.

"Say, I never caught your name." the mercenary wondered as they neared the hideout.

"Atronia Auditore da Firenze. Yours?" the assassin replied politely, hands folded behind her back. The warrior's eyes widened for a moment then he held out his hand.

"Alvise de Luca. Strange, last I heard of your name was from a fellow mercenary. He said you had been taken and killed." he noted as Atronia shook his hand.

"Taken, yes. Killed, not quite." Atronia said, a smile appearing on her face. Alvise smiled in return and turned to walk into the building. Atronia too turned away, beginning her walk of Venice. Before she could turn the corner, Alvise's voice called from the doorway.

"Feel free to call for me any time you need help!" he shouted. Atronia smiled and nodded. Alvise turned and was hidden from sight as he entered the building. The assassin then turned away to find Ezio. Boy, what a surprise he would get.

Atronia then decided to take her time getting to Antonio's place. She needed to remind herself of how the streets winded and how the color of the cobblestone changed in certain places.

After a few minutes, she found herself in an alleyway that led to the waterside. Deciding this was a good route, she kept making her way in that direction, comfortable in knowing where she was. Even though it had been two years, Atronia hadn't forgotten the streets of Venice as much as she thought she would've.

This is when she learned that exiting an alleyway was much harder than it looked. Before even one foot exited the borders of the alley, Atronia noticed none other than her brother Ezio, sitting on a bench flirting with the Venetian thief, Rosa. After taking one step, she nearly lost her balance, but quickly scurried back into the shadow of the wall.

After a few moments, she sighed. It took a moment, but Atronia finally built up the courage to walk over. That courage was fatally wounded once she saw the other person walking towards Ezio and Rosa. Her heart skipped a beat, she stopped breathing for a second. Inhaling sharply, she stood frozen as people passed by her. Before her stood none other than an exhausted Leonardo da Vinci. Breaking out of her daze, she noticed he too had stopped in the middle of the walkway, and had began staring back at her with a strange curiosity.

Morbid thoughts began to flow through her head. Would she run up to him and tell him everything that happened in Rome? _No, you can't tell him. Not yet._ She snapped at herself. Leonardo made a movement, a step forward. Atronia flinched, staring at her love with fear. She didn't know what to say, what to do. He took another step, his eyes narrowing as she stepped in the other direction.

In her head, she imagined running towards him and squeezing the life out of her love. Kissing him and then reuniting with her brother. The dream faded to blackness as she turned her back on Leonardo and ran the wrong way. She ran into the streets, instead of his arms.

Announcements:

OH MY GOODNESS GUYS! I am sooo sorry about how long this chapter took! First, I had a writer's block, and that was really crappy. Now, spring sports are starting which means softball! Yippee! However, because of this there will be more time in between chapter releases. I'll write whenever I can for you guys. Once tryouts are over and I have a normal schedule, it'll be much easier to fit in writing time. This week has been stressful. Hope you guys are still here and reading! Go ahead and leave a review of the chapter. Well, what'd you think? Corbeau, Russo and Francesca are back! What is Atronia hiding? WHY DIDN'T SHE HUG LEO! See you next chapter! - melvick462


	12. Chapter 11: Revelations

Atronia stood leaning over a map of Venice, stress causing her muscles to become more and more tense. Her mind wasn't even close to thinking about tactics for the next few days, she was only thinking about Leonardo. Every thought of his face, his hopeful eyes from the day before sent her stomach spiraling and her eyes filled with tears. Regret and fear continued to cause her head to hurt more than it had before.

"What have I done?" she sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. To interrupt her troubled thoughts, Rosa entered the room, startling her.

"Atronia?" she asked, taking a moment to notice her state. The assassin looked up.

"Ah, Rosa," she muttered, wiping her tears away quickly, "forgive me." The thief gave her a doubtful glance.

"Why don't you just tell Ezio you're back?" she suggested.

"It's not exactly that simple." she snapped, a little too harshly. Rosa stepped back slightly in shock, but she nodded with understanding.

"Okay," she remained patient, "Antonio told me to inform you that the boat has arrived back from Cyprus."

Atronia whipped around again in shock, surprise glinting in her eyes. She followed Rosa out of the room as the thief told her Ezio was wandering the city, chasing a courier. How she'd heard this already, Atronia had no clue but went with it.

It wasn't hard to find Ezio's location, the tailing wasn't very subtle on his part. Plus, a guard bouncing from pole to pole was certainly something you didn't see everyday in Venice. Atronia followed the chase from a distance, witnessing from rooftops not far away. A few moments later, the courier stopped. Atronia was hidden in a haystack, attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation between the two guards.

"Package it carefully, the Borgia doesn't want it damaged."

Atronia's eyes narrowed in suspicion. What was 'it'? When did the Spaniard get to Venice? The assassin had a few guesses on each of those questions, but she didn't necessarily want an answer at the moment.

It was dusk when Atronia and Ezio arrived at the Borgia's location. She scanned the scene below her. There were six men, Ezio in disguise, Rodrigo Borgia and four guards, one of which stood between Ezio and his prey. This was no problem for her brother, having hidden blades. However, killing the Spaniard himself would be much more difficult than they both anticipated.

Atronia's attention moved from her brother to the box he was carrying. Even though she couldn't see it, she guessed what was inside. Little did he know, Ezio carried a box that would change the race between Assassins and Templars. The contents of this box were unknown to Ezio, but both the Spaniard and Atronia knew what hid inside. Both knew it couldn't fall into the hands of their enemy.

The disguised Ezio moved forward and stabbed the guard in front of him with his hidden blade. The two soldiers behind him stepped back, looking at him with startled expressions. Atronia grinned, Ezio seemed to have that effect on people.

"Ah, young Auditore." Rodrigo said. This drew her attention from the box again. Getting ready for action, Atronia awaited for Antonio to make the call to attack. A moment later the thief's sharp whistle echoed across the river, and Atronia lept onto a small ledge then onto the ground, landing between Ezio and the Spaniard, her robes merely whisping as she landed. This time, Ezio was the startled one.

"Stay back, Borgia." she growled defiantly, drawing her swords. The Borgia's eyes shimmered with delight.

"I figured something like this would draw you in again, assassin." he laughed, "now I can kill you without hesitation, unlike my brothers who failed and got destroyed themselves." Atronia hesitated, her grin quickly fading. She stepped back. Realization struck her like an arrow. Of all of those times she'd heard about 'the assassin they want to kill', she'd always expected it to be Ezio or even Corbeau, not herself.

"Me?" she muttered, half to herself, which caused her enemy even more pleasure, "I'm the one you've wanted to kill?" Rodrigo's eyes continued to shine with happiness.

"You've caused damage to our order and you destroyed it's leaders." the Borgia explained. He looked as if he hadn't gotten to the best part, yet he didn't say anything. There was a silence as Atronia attempted to wrap her head around this situation. Ezio shuffled awkwardly in the background, beginning to hope that this could be his lost sister.

"Enough!" the Spaniard exclaimed, breaking the silence. Atronia broke out of her stare to a ready position to fight, "Give me the apple!" He charged forward sword first. Before he reached them, Atronia quickly turned, beckoning Ezio to fight. He looked doubtfully at the box he was holding.

"Drop it or get out of here!" she snapped as she turned to deflect Rodrigo's sword. Just as Ezio set the box down, more guards charged in after hearing their master's voice in peril. Ezio and Atronia were clearly outnumbered.

While Atronia was distracted fighting with the other guards, Rodrigo managed to hit one of her swords out of her hand. He then slammed his sword down so hard on hers that Atronia fell to the ground, the Spaniard then pushing down on hers. The swords were drawing closer and closer to her chest as Rodrigo continued to push.

To her surprise a foot hit her opponent in the side, sending him flying off of her. She looked up to see Mario holding out his hand for her to take. She took it and flew up, quickly embracing her uncle.

"Mario, it's been too long." she mentioned, letting go of the hug.

"It has, Atti. I've missed you around Monteriggioni." he laughed. She chuckled in return, running to rejoin the fight. As she turned, she flinched as a guard raised his sword to strike her down. Before he could slash, a knife protruded from his stomach and Volpe was revealed as the soldier fell to the ground.

"Ah, Volpe, glad you could join us!" she smiled. Atronia looked to Ezio who was obviously confused, especially when Antonio and Bartolomeo charged in next to him.

"Antonio? Bartolomeo?" he exclaimed.

"We're with you, Ezio!" Antonio replied, joining in the fight by shooting an arrow at a soldier. The fight lasted a few mere minutes, the assassins clearly having the upper hand. They sent the Borgia running. At the end as others were celebrating, Ezio came up to Atronia who stood on the outskirts of the cheering group.

"Say, I've never seen you here before, madonna." he wondered, bowing his head.

"It's been a few years." she replied, a grin spreading across her face at her brother's lack of observation. He nodded, still not noticing even as Atronia turned towards him, "Idiota!" she punched him in the arm. A startled look suddenly plastered on his face.

"What?" he exclaimed, stepping backwards. She slipped her hood off and Ezio's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something then quickly closed it as he pointed a finger at her. Atronia laughed, her brother never acted quite like this, "You-you're alive?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you where..." she was interrupted by a suffocating embrace from him. She squeezed in return as Ezio placed a brotherly kiss on her cheek.

"I missed you so much, Atti," he said, his voice choking up, "I had a feeling you were alive, I could never find you and… I really missed you." Atronia's eyes began to tear up, her heart in a place it'd never been. She knew Ezio cared for her, but this was a big reminder.

"I missed you too, Ezio." she replied, burrowing her face into her brother's shoulder. It lasted a moment longer until Ezio let go, his face stained with a few tears and a smile on his face. The two turned to the others who were watching, most of them with a smile on their faces as well (with the exception of Volpe, who never usually smiled). Paola and Teodora had just joined them.

"What are you all doing here?" Ezio said after a few silent moments. A familiar voice echoed across the landscape.

"The same as you, we hope to see the prophet appear to us."

"Oh no." Atronia muttered to herself, Ezio turning to her, then back to the voice. Niccoló Machiavelli was in Venice.

"I couldn't care less about your prophet. He isn't here." Ezio replied, staring at the newest addition to the ensemble.

"Ah, but _you_ did," Machiavelli said. Ezio was taken aback, "You are here. Maybe you are the one we sought all along." Atronia was even more taken aback than Ezio. Machiavelli noticed this, and he nodded quickly as if a promise to explain later.

"Who _are_ you?" Ezio snapped, offended by all these propositions against him.

"Niccoló Machiavelli, an assassin. Just like everyone else here. We've been trained to protect mankind. Just like you." he introduced, waving a hand at everyone.

"Y-you are all assassins?" Ezio seemed quiet now, shocked, just not as angry about all of this change. "Paola, Volpe…" his gaze moved to Atronia, disbelief in his dark eyes. Atronia's stomach turned as his disbelief contained slight disappointment.

"Sí, we've all been guiding you and training you to become one in the future," Mario interrupted, placing a hand on Ezio's shoulder, "I should believe it's time." The group dispersed, leaving the two siblings alone in the dark alleyway of Venice.

"Ezio…"

"Is that why you always went to Monteriggioni?" he interrupted, taking off his helmet. Atronia nodded in reply.

"Ask me anything, Ezio. I know you're confused, just let me explain." she continued, walking towards him and placing a hand on his shoulder. Ezio did the same, and they walked and spoke for an hour until it was time for Atronia to lead Ezio to a different location.

"Ezio, there's a place we need to go. First, I need to tell you something." she stopped herself taking a deep breath and looking to the ground. Ezio concernedly tried to make eye contact with her. "There's," she hesitated, "there's a child."

I was abruptly awoken by startled voices. I held up an arm to shield the light from my weary eyes. As I sat up, my head began spinning.

"Caroline!" a familiar British accent was immediately next to me.

"Shaun?" I tried to look at him, only to see a strange blur of reddish hair and glasses.

"Rebecca, she can hear me," he told the other assassin who immediately started taking notes, "Caroline, can you see me, even vaguely?" he asked. I squinted, attempting to straighten out the view and get my vision back to normal.

"Sort of…" the throbbing in my head began to increase, and Shaun kept asking me questions until his phrases began to slur into short blurbs I couldn't understand. I'd never experienced such a feeling before. It was peculiar and slightly painful.

Suddenly a figure was standing in front of me, much clearer than all the blurs behind him. I looked up, my eyes widening in terror.

"Clay?" I said aloud, startling everyone else in the room. They looked to where I was staring, no one was there. My old friend began to move towards me, pulling out a knife, "Clay, don't."

"Sorry, love." he sunk the blade into my stomach. I doubled over in pain even though the knife was a phantom, a ghost blade.

"Caroline!" Shaun shouted.

"Don't listen to him, darling." Clay pulled me nearer to unconsciousness.

"Caroline," Shaun's face suddenly appeared next to Clay's, "can you hear me?" The blurriness faded slightly and Clay let out an exasperated moan.

"Shaun, we need her to give her medical attention!" Desmond's voice echoed into my ears, causing the blurriness to fade even more, Clay letting out a more startled sound. Atronia suddenly flickered into view, along with Samira next to her. Clay's ghost disappeared, yelling in protest as he did so. I burst back into reality. Breathing heavily, I nearly passed out Shaun holding me up.

"What-what the hell was that?" I said weakly, trembling as I entered reality again. Shaun stared straight at me, trying to find out as much as I was.

"I don't know, Caroline." he replied. I wanted to scream, but I knew he wasn't lying, "You said something about Subject 16." I nodded.

"Shaun, there was a glitch in the memories of Atronia, we're going to have to use the next available memory." Rebecca called from the other side of the room. Desmond took Shaun's place as he went to Rebecca.

"You okay?" he asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

"I guess," I replied, still shaking slightly, "I'm just trying to process what on earth just happened."

"I think some fresh air would do you good." he said. Once again, I simply nodded looking down at my hands. I noticed that the cracks were glowing gold I quickly shook it off, believing it to be another strange hallucination.

"Well, we've determined the situation you just had to be a glitch in Atronia's memories. For some odd reason the memories of Ezio continue. Desmond, are you good with going back in?" Rebecca came over to us, Desmond nodding at her question. He stood up and got back into his Animus, "Another reason for the - we'll call it experience - could be because of intense change in Atronia's memories. I mean, she had a kid. It's weird that there's no definite memory of this occurring." she moved to the other side of the room, muttering to herself like she always did. Shaun came back to my side.

"I think Desmond was right, let's get you outside a little."

"Be careful, Shaun." Lucy finally entered the conversation. Shaun replied with a nod, carefully helping me up. I felt strangely normal, a bit light-headed, but the effects of the whole episode I had had seemed to be fading. It was slow moving from the top floor to the bottom, thank goodness there were ramps in that building.

"Pretty weird that Atronia hasn't told Leonardo yet." Shaun finally spoke up after a few minutes. He'd let go of my arm to see if I was stable to walk on my own. Strangely enough, I was.

"That makes me worried. I know our main goal isn't to care about what happens to our ancestors and to find the Apple before the Templars, it just seems like I'm supposed to care." I replied, rubbing my arms at the thought of Leonardo's reaction. I laughed and covered my mouth at another thought. Shaun smiled and glanced over, clearly confused at my sudden and unexpected laughter.

"What?" he said.

"I'm the descendent of Atronia Auditore and Leonardo da Vinci." I laughed. Shaun nodded, chuckling in reply. Suddenly our eyes met and for a moment, neither of us said anything. I looked away as Lucy called us back. Once they checked if I was back to normal, I got back into the Animus with a lot more caution than before.

Atronia appeared in front of a familiar looking Venetian doorway. Apparently she had just knocked because the entry cracked open slightly. Leonardo da Vinci's blue eye could just barely be seen through the small breach. He looked hesitant to let anyone in, which confused Atronia greatly.

"Ciao, what do you need?" the engineer said in a quiet voice, opening the door a little more. Atronia rolled her eyes in the shadow of her hood.

"Come on, Leonardo, open up." she replied, waving for him to let her in. His gaze moved down for a moment, then he opened the door all the way and walked away. She followed hesitantly, he still didn't know it was her. As she walked in she was hit with a great amount of different stenches and frankly, emotions.

"What can I help you with?" a disorganized Leonardo said from the other side of the room.

"What have you been…" she stopped herself as she examined his workspace. She became angrier, not at Leonardo, but at Machiavelli for not telling anyone of her absence, "What on earth happened to you?" Leonardo looked up at her, "I leave for two years and you lock yourself away, refusing help from anyone especially Ezio?" the inventor was shocked, it took him a moment to process everything Atronia said. He suddenly realized.

"I thought…" he hesitated, Atronia noticing that he'd found out her identity, "we thought you were dead." She too looked up at him from his mess, just as startled as he was. For a moment there was silence between the two. As quickly as the silence began, the two were in an embrace, crying tears of joy.

"No, I'd never leave you, il mio amore." she assured, kissing him on the nose.

To my surprise, the memory ended at a sudden halt. The picture faded and glitched into blackness. I was worried another strange vision with Clay would start again.

"Rebecca, what's going on?" I stuttered, wary that I would wake up to an episode.  
"There's another timeline glitch. Give me one second." she responded and Desmond and I were quickly transported to Monteriggioni. It was a rather quiet and crisp night as Atronia began to walk up the steps to the Villa Auditore. Clearly Ezio was already there having started from Forlí about an hour earlier than herself. Atronia's stomach was churning as she stepped up. Ezio had found all of the codex pages and they were about to connect them, hoping to find something interesting and most likely helpful in their fight against the Templars. None of them really knew what to expect from the pages, hopefully something useful.

She walked into Mario's study that was filled with the many assassin leaders who had journeyed there as well.

"Ciao, Mario." she said quietly as she went up to stand beside her Uncle.

"Ciao, mia nipote." he rested an arm around her shoulders. The meeting went on slowly for a while, then it suddenly took a wild turn when Ezio put the codex pages back into order.

"Mio Dio!" Atronia was the first to notice it, "Is that… the world?" They all stared, quite stunned at what seemed to be a map. She'd seen plenty of what people assumed to be the earth in Leonardo's workshop, but this seemed different than most.

Ezio then moved to put the Apple up on the pedestal. As soon as the two met a bright light shone in the room, causing most of the assassins to cover their eyes. When the light faded, the map was revealed with multiple pinpoints on different locations. After standing and gawking at this strange magic, Mario finally pointed something out.

"Look, there's one in Roma!"

"Very observant." Atronia said sarcastically. He looked back at her with a smirk. She grinned back, "Yes, very observant," her expression suddenly changed, "Roma. _That's_ why Rodrigo became Pope, to own Rome so he could find the temple!" The others nodded in agreement, a few stroking their chins in thought.

"Well, what are we to do then?" Paola spoke up. Ezio grinned,

"The answer is simple. We go to Roma and we cut the head off of the snake."

Announcements: Why hello my friends! I hope it hasn't been too long. Life is busy when spring sports get involved. However, I had a ton of time to write this chapter over spring break (went to Nashville, TN. SO FUN!) so I got quite a bit done. We're back into school and I already have a headache tonight, hooray. With my sports schedule getting a little more normal, I'm hoping to find more time for writing, however I'm not sure how often I'll be able to… It's busy, have I said that already? Anyway, I hope you really liked this chapter! I figure things are gonna get a little more intense in 12, but we'll have to see :). Feel free to leave any reviews and tell me what you liked or disliked about this chapter! Until next time. - melvick462


	13. Chapter 12: 419029 N, 124534 E

p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"As Roma quickly came into view, butterflies began fluttering in Atronia's stomach. They rode to Rome for one purpose only, to kill Rodrigo Borgia and end the race for the Apple of Eden, and there was no doubt that thought made Atronia nervous. The Borgia wouldn't be easy to kill, especially with him being a higher ranking member of society. It would be a complicated escape. In the moment, it seemed the whole fate of the Assassin Order was laid on their shoulders./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Hurry, Castagna!" Atronia muttered to her horse, "Faster." The chestnut steed immediately began to gallop faster at her command. They rode throughout the city, drawing the eyes of many guards and citizens. Their location slowly came into view. They left their horses at a stable and turned towards the church. The Vatican was heavily guarded and both assassins knew getting in would most likely be fairly hard. Fighting the Borgia would be even harder./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"They found themselves in the rafters of the Vatican hall after a long time of attempts and fails at breaking in. Security was high, very high. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The Pope was giving a speech to the Cardinals and monks. The two separated to two different sides of the rafters in preparation to attack. Rodrigo was in plain sight. Atronia's eyes moved to what he was holding, some kind of staff./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""That must be another Piece of Eden…" /spanspan style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"she thought, studying it from a distance. She glanced at Ezio, who nodded. It was time to fight. After a moment, Ezio lept onto the Borgia and she waited for him to move, but Ezio sat where he was, laying over his prey. Atronia sat wondering what he was doing and when she could join./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I thought I had gotten over this, it seems I haven't. /spanspan style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Requiescat in pace." Ezio's voice echoed across the hall. The men around let out a startled gasp and began whispering to each other. Before any of them could get one sentence out, the Borgia slapped Ezio in the head with his staff, got himself off the ground, lifted his staff and threw Ezio off the stage he was standing on. The Spaniard's laugh echoed through the hall, crawling up Atronia's skin, giving her the most unpleasant feeling./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"She waited patiently for her cue. Rodrigo slammed his staff onto the ground, causing a current of energy to spread throughout the church. The men surrounding the altar fell down in terror and a skull-splitting pain that only the wielders of apples could handle. Strangely enough, Atronia found herself unaffected by it. That was it, that was definitely her cue. She lept off the rafter and landed with a thud on the hard tile floor. This only caused pain to shoot up her legs, but she quickly shook it off and stood up./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""We meet again, young Auditore." the Spaniard taunted./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""It would seem." she growled, drawing her swords. He attempted to use his staff on her, she only charged forward faster. She impatiently swung at him, wishing to get this over with. He blocked easily and took her in a moment of weakness to throw her across the room with his staff. She again rammed against a pillar a few feet away from Ezio. The staff was working again, yet Ezio repelled it. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You aren't affected, how?" Rodrigo's eyes moved to Ezio's belt where the Apple sat in a pouch. His eyes became menacing and almost insane looking, "Ah, I see you have brought it to me. Now give it here." In her muddled thoughts, Atronia laughed at that comment. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"You really think he'll give it to you that easily? /spanspan style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Ezio in reply, took out the Apple and used it to make replicas of himself. The fight only lasted a few mere minutes until Ezio had the upper hand. Atronia looked on, dazed after taking a hard landing. She attempted to stand, only to have to sit down with the threat of unconsciousness lurking very close. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The odds changed in the blink of an eye as Rodrigo threw Ezio back with a slam of his stick. In another blink, he had the Apple. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No…" she said, trying harder to stand. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Now to deal with you." the Spaniard lifted her brother into the air with the full power of both the staff and the apple and sunk a blade into his abdomen./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Ezio!" she yelled, standing up and stumbling into the same column./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""It's too late, Auditore. The Apple is mine." he turned and opened the chamber. Dread filled Atronia's head. He'd won. What now? How would they possibly stop the Templars? She watched him go, then limped over to Ezio. She turned him on his back./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Ezio?" she cried in attempt to wake her brother up, "Ezio, please wake up!" She checked his pulse and was relieved to find him alive. She quickly wrapped the wound in a cloth when realized she couldn't just let the Borgia win. The assassin blindly stumbled into the temple after Rodrigo, not truly knowing what to expect./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"She found herself entering a round room where the Borgia was standing in the center, attempting to open the temple. Seeing him winning caused the anger she was trying to contain to explode. She charged forward, lept into the hole and began sprinting at Rodrigo. He turned and stopped her with the staff. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You're so persistent." he growled, moving towards her while pushing more power at her. It burned her skin and made her hands shake. She'd never felt this sensation before. She fought the urge to fall to her knees, yet she realized the power was holding her up. After a moment of attempting to move, she realized she couldn't overpower the Pieces of Eden./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Why were you trying to kill me?" she muttered./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I told you already. You know." the Spaniard replied, only pushing harder. She moaned, not able to recoil against the pain. Not able to do anything./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes, but there was more." she snapped. He stopped in his tracks, "You didn't tell me the whole story. I could tell." He grinned, hesitating to tell her, letting her suffer in his unwillingness to break the truth. Taking a few steps forward, the Borgia finally invaded Atronia's personal space. She attempted to crane her neck from his foul breath./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You're smart, Auditore. Like your father." he smiled./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""What has my father got to do with this?" Atronia growled. She knew he would never talk about Giovanni like that. Plus, he was her adopted father, not her blood father./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well!" he laughed, backing away, "You're the heir to his spot! To the leader of the whole Italian Brotherhood of Assassins! We're Templars, we do not want anymore Assassin leaders." /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Atronia's heart skipped a beat. Her breath caught in her chest and for a moment she found it difficult to get air in and out of her lungs. /spanspan style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Mario?/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No… W-what?" she stuttered, "How do you know?" /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He opened his mouth to explain, but his stature immediately changed once he looked at Atronia's hands. His mouth dropped open and he began to take steps backwards, attempting to stop shooting power from the staff. Atronia watched in confusion then looked down at her hands herself. Disbelief continued to shake her mind as she realized that all the power from the staff was building up at her hands. A strange force moved her hands upward, aimed straight at the Borgia's chest. It was no longer burning her. All of the apple's power was fired at Rodrigo, causing him to fly backwards into the opposite wall./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"She stumbled back, staring in awe at what she had just done. What /spanspan style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"had /spanspan style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"she just done? She looked up at the Borgia, who was struggling to get up, then down at her hands again. She felt for the wall for support. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Mario is my father?/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"***/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"She hadn't even notice she'd fallen unconscious before Ezio was attempting to wake her up. She jolted forward, looking around while trying to place her setting./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Atti!" Ezio exclaimed, placing her hands on her shoulders. Her gaze steadied on her brother and a wave of calm swept over her, "Sister, are you alright?" She nodded, still trying to find her breath. While taking multiple deep gulps of air, she noticed a new addition to the room. A large door had opened and a hallway led to an unknown room./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""He opened it?" she said, a new level of panic coming over her./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No," Ezio laughed, "I did." Atronia glanced at him./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I told you you would, prophet." she smiled. A moment of silence fell on the two, "Are we going inside?" Ezio held out a hand towards the opening./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" "Be my guest, sorella." he replied. The two got up, passed the staff and the senseless Borgia, and they entered the temple under the Vatican./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #0b0c0e; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"-/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span id="docs-internal-guid-810f5af6-a2a2-ebb2-b090-5103aff1b48a"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;"Well, well, well. I have come out of my hole. Forgive me. The end of the school year was extremely chaotic and gave me absolutely NO time to edit and upload and finish Chapter 12. That's what exams do to you… Anyway. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It's a bit shorter than most of them, but I did so for time's sake. I hope the summer gives me a little more time to write and hopefully I won't procrastinate anymore either. I've been a bit lazy… :) So anyway, hopefully chapter 13 will come sooner than later. Melvick out. - melvick462/span/span/p 


	14. Chapter 13: Minerva

The inside of the temple was the strangest thing that Atronia had ever seen. The perfectly chiseled stone was glowing bright blue and gold and she was constantly trying to find the source of the light between the cracks. The most bizarre part was that this ancient sanctuary felt familiar to Atronia, as if she had been there in a dream.

"What time was this built? It feels so old." she wondered, tracing her fingers through the cracks on the wall. Ezio nodded in agreement, also staring at the walls with a similar confusion.

The corridor opened into a large room with pillars that had identical carvings on them, glowing the same vibrant blue and gold. The two crossed the room until they finally met a wall. For many moments, nothing happened. It seemed like an empty vault with odd markings, that was it.

"Is there nothing here?" Atronia said, doubt beginning to swirl inside of her. They hadn't gone through all of that just to find an empty room. She knew that for sure. She walked to the end wall and put a hand on it hoping it would trigger something. Again, nothing happened.

"Was this all for nothing?" she turned to Ezio, who looked around with the same doubt. With a sigh, she turned back and began to walk out of the temple with her brother at toe. All of a sudden, a voice called out from behind them.

"Wait!" it said. The two assassins turned quickly to see a holographic figure of a woman dressed in garments that were definitely not of the era. Atronia and Ezio exchanged wary glances as the woman summoned them back. "It is good you are here, let us see it… to give thanks." she held out her hand. Atronia glimpsed cautiously at Ezio as he took out the Apple. The woman elevated her hand and the Apple produced a luminous ray, and when it faded Ezio quickly replaced it in his small sack. Like nothing had happened, the woman's gaze moved towards our third person selves, which surprised me. How did she know Desmond and I were following these memories? "We must speak." Her intense stare made me awfully uncomfortable.

"Who are you?" Ezio spoke, turning her look away from us.

"When I died, my name was Minerva. But I have been called many others. There are others too, Juno and Jupiter, who both also had many names." Both of the assassins hesitated. These names sounded so familiar to them.

Ezio was the first to speak up, "You are… gods." I could see doubt eb into Atronia's eyes, there was no way she was speaking to some kind of deity. I felt the same way. A cold laugh escaped Minerva's mouth.

"No, no. We simply came before." she explained. The room suddenly faded into darkness and all of a sudden, they were standing in space. Planets shifted around them. Atronia stepped back in surprise.

"Ezio, we should go." she muttered, grabbing his arm.

"Just… wait."

"Even when we walked the earth, humans struggled to understand our existence. Your minds were not as advanced and were not ready, they are still not." Minerva's gaze landed back on Desmond and I. "You may not understand us, but you must understand this warning."

"None of this makes any sense." Atronia said, folding her arms. "What are you trying to say?"

"These words are not meant for you." she snapped.

"What are you talking about? We are alone." Atronia waved in the general direction Minerva was looking. She turned and her eyes locked with mine, almost as if she saw me. But of course she didn't actually see me. That's impossible… right?

"Enough! I do not wish to speak to you but through you. There is a reason you are called the prophet. You have done what you were destined to. Please, be silent." she looked back at us, "Listen." With that, Minerva shimmered away and disappeared in front of us.

What came next I could barely comprehend. Minerva's voice told us a story of ages long ago. Of how the humans betrayed their kind. How during war, they managed to not look to the sky and see the real danger. The sun. All of it seemed like fake myths made up by some blaspheme priest. The big ball in the sky destroyed earth, leaving very few of each kind alive. They built a new society solely based on preventing another one of these tragedies from occurring. They tried, but the people who came before were dying.

"You must find the other temples. They were to protect us, to save us from the fire. If these temples can be saved, so too may the world. Be wary of the cross, for there are many who will stand in your way."

 _Templars…_ I thought to myself.

"It is done. The message is delivered, and now we are gone. We can do no more. It is up to you, Desmond. And protect him, Caroline, for you are his guardian." The figure, Minerva then ceased to exist as her presence disappeared into the air.

"Wait, don't go! Who is Desmond? Who is Caroline? I have so many questions."

 _I'm right there with you, Ezio._ I agreed.

"Ezio, there is nothing more we can do here, she is gone." the image of the two assassins faded and I was thrust back into reality, where Lucy, Rebecca and Shaun were frantically packing up supplies. I looked over at Desmond who was looking back at me with the same terror and mystification.

"No time to sit around, guys!" Lucy said, "Abstergo found us." Desmond got up, but I sat still, trying to contemplate what just happened. A hand suddenly pulled me up.

"Look, I know what you saw was insane, but we have to keep moving, Caroline." Shaun said, snapping me out of my daze. I nodded, helping them pack things away.

"Caroline, Desmond, come on." Lucy summoned after a few moments. The two of us moved away and ran after her. Once we reached the main level of the factory, Abstergo guards immediately charged at us. I moved forward past the others. A guard swung his baton at me and I ducked underneath, stabbing him in the ribcage with Samira's hidden blade. Desmond and Lucy engaged two other guards while three more charged at me. Before anything happened after that, everything around me faded into darkness.

"Caroline!" I turned and Atronia Auditore walked up to me. I stood, bewildered that another one of my ancestors was contacting me. "Hold out your hands." I did as she asked and she lifted her own, placing them on mine. I felt nothing, as if her hands were air. Suddenly, I could see my veins glowing a similar color to that of the Pieces of Eden. While entranced, I hadn't even noticed Atronia had left and everything had faded from darkness and I was back in the warehouse. I turned and the guards were now standing around me, preparing to attack. I looked down at my hands and held one out towards the guard closest to me. He stared at me with confusion, but soon afterwards, was flying backwards after a stream of power shot from my outstretched hand. The other two guards shuffled in their places, glancing nervously at each other.

"Well now, Ms. Archer!" a voice called from behind me. I turned to see Warren Vidic standing in a truck a few feet away, "This is something I never knew you could do! The list just goes on and on doesn't it?" I didn't speak, only narrowed my eyes. "Get her in here." he told his guards and they hesitantly walked forward and grabbed me by the arms.

"You can't expect me to be cooperative, Vidic." I replied. He turned back and smiled.

"You'll have to be in the end, Ms. Archer."

I'd had enough of him, and he'd only been there for one minute. I blew the two men back in a powerful explosion. The surge managed to hit the guards fighting Lucy and Desmond and they both looked over in surprise.

"Leave." I snapped, aiming my hand at him. He stepped back, banging on the truck walls with his hand. The engine fired up and the truck disappeared from sight. I lowered my hand and turned back. As if snapping out of a trance, I realized what I had just done. "How in the…?"

"No matter now, let's get out of here." Lucy reached for my wrist. I recoiled. She hesitated but started walking with Desmond at toe. I followed at a distance, wondering how in the world any of this had just taken place. A strange being in a memory had recognized our presence there, I had shot golden streams out of my bare hands.

"How in the world did you do that?" Desmond slowed to my pace, finishing my earlier question.

"I…" I answered, "I don't know."

We got into the van, preparing to get back into the Animus. Lucy glanced at me. Was that fear in her gaze?

"Caroline! What _was_ that?" Rebecca exclaimed. I stayed silent. How did they expect me to explain this? Even I didn't know how I was granted these strange powers.

I found my Animus and sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at my hands. A few moments later, Shaun came over and sat next to me. He didn't say anything, just sat. I could tell he was looking at me. He didn't understand what was happening, but he knew I didn't either.

I looked down at my hands again. There was a faint golden glow. This whole ordeal confused me, but I could feel acceptance make it's way into my heart. In the memories of Ezio and Atronia, Minerva had called me Desmond's 'guardian'. If that's what I needed to be, I would guard my friend with my life.

"So, Hastings, where are we headed?" I said, much less enthusiasm escaping my voice as I had intended. He chuckled.

"Glad to see you're still excited." he said sarcastically, smiling at me. "We're on our way to Monteriggioni, home of the Italian Assassin Brotherhood." He grabbed my hand and that gave me a new hope. I was glad that I had my fellow assassins to go through all of this with.

Even with their help, nothing was resolved. This whole ordeal with Minerva proved that this was only the beginning of a much bigger story.

Heyo! How have you all been? I've been great. Summer is amazing. Me like :) Anyway, I hope the wait wasn't horribly long. I haven't been too busy, I just procrastinate a lot. Heh. So, we met Minerva for the first time. Eh? Eh? Well, anyway, just leave some reviews and… guys, we're almost done! AHH. See you next chapter (a.k.a EPILOGUE!). It won't be long, trust me. Melvick out. - melvick462


	15. Epilogue

It was growing dark as the sun set over the visible horizon. A group of four rode towards a small city on a hill. The occasional passerby stared but said nothing as they made their way.

"So, capo. Where are we headed again?" the fourth rider spoke up. It was a cold night, he didn't like the chill all that much.

"Don't call me boss, Russo. I am not your boss." the lead rider snapped, becoming more and more irritated with the thief's constant complaining. This was a serious mission, "And for the fifth time, we are headed to Monteriggioni, to meet with Monsieur Auditore and his companions." the leader pointed straight ahead to the dark city, illuminated only by flickering lanterns now that the sun had fully set.

"Oh… right." Russo replied, surprised that his partner knew Italian. "Remind me, why did you bring all three of us? I think Francesca was on a mission-"

"No, I was not, Russo." Francesca looked back at Russo, feeling just as annoyed as their leader.

"No? Well, I mean, Alvise had-"

"No, I didn't." the mercenary was calmer with Russo, but he didn't show he was just as aggravated with him.

"You know, you didn't have to come if you didn't want to, Russo." the leader spoke up again, removing his hood and looking back.

"Well, capo-" he cut himself short as their leader stopped his horse, "Corbeau, you never offered that choice."

"You could've just said so! I'm not your mother. I thought you wanted to give them this information yourself. Plus, I needed an escort." Corbeau replied.

"Oh please, you can take care of yourself," Russo growled.

"That's enough, both of you!" Francesca cut in between them, "We're going to be late." As the front gate approached, Russo became antsier. He wasn't sure they would support the idea he was to present. No matter what they decided, he was gonna meet Mario Auditore, the leader of the Assassin Brotherhood!

At the front gate, two guards were waiting to escort them.

"Greetings, Maestro. They are waiting in the Villa."

"Merci." the assassin replied, getting off of his horse. The others dismounted, handing their steeds to the guards.

A few moments later they were in the foyer of the Villa Auditore. A man who Russo guessed was Mario Auditore walked out of a separate room.

"Ah, Corbeau, you've arrived!" he smiled at the group.

"Master Auditore," Corbeau bowed respectfully, "these are my companions, Russo, a Roman thief, Francesca, a Roman courtesan-"

"Ex-courtesan," she mentioned. Corbeau glanced back at her with a menacing glare.

"And this is Alvise, a mercenary working under Bartolomeo." he finished, waving a hand at Alvise, hiding his irritation extremely well. The soldier mimicked Corbeau in a respectful bow. "All three have assisted Atronia in the past." At saying Atronia's name, Mario's welcoming smile shrunk.

"Have you seen her recently, Corbeau?" he asked, trying not to act too concerned, but he made way more obvious than he intended.

"No, I cannot say I have," Corbeau said.

"Ok, well, follow me. The meeting is about to begin." Mario nodded, leading them into the same room he had exited earlier. La Volpe and Niccoló Machiavelli stood waiting. As the meeting started, Russo grew more nervous by the minute. For a while, the assassins exchanged information and talked about the situation with the Borgia.

"I have something to say." Russo finally spoke up after Corbeau gave him a 'go ahead' glance. "As you all know, rumors spread very fast in Roma. What I've heard from my recent resources is that the Pope has escaped Ezio and Atronia. He's told Cesare everything… Including information about the Apple of Eden and how it is back in the Assassin's hands." he hesitated, not wanting to say the last part, "This means Ezio and Atronia should not return to Monteriggioni."

Mixed reactions spread through the crowd. Mario stared at him with the scariest glare he'd ever seen. It was even scarier with the one eye.

"Why not?" Niccoló asked, "Give us one good reason."

"Because the Borgia are going to follow them back, then they're going to attack and destroy Monteriggioni!" Alvise defended, placing a hand on Russo's shoulder. The thief gave him a thankful nod. Mario nodded in disbelief.

"Volpe, what do you think?" the leader questioned. Volpe looked up from being deep in thought.

"I mean no offense to you, Mario, but I agree." he said, sparing a wink at Russo. Mario shook his head.

"No. I do not support this." he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I do not doubt that you can defend this city. But I know you cannot hold it forever. Not from the Borgia." Corbeau replied.

"Then I will defend it till I die." he snapped.

"Mario, you are not being sensible. You are our leader. If this city falls, the brotherhood will be in chaos." they all knew that when Niccoló said 'this city', he meant Mario himself. This only worsened Russo's already nervous attitude.

"This meeting is dismissed." the leader waved the four Romans away. Niccoló nodded at Corbeau who left the room, the other three at toe. The scholar looked to Volpe and as if sharing the same thought, turned to Mario.

"With all due respect, Maestro," Volpe said, treading lightly, "The safety of your heir is something to consider as well." Mario stopped messing with papers and looked up at the thief.

"Meaning?" Mario said, even though he knew perfectly well what Volpe meant. He wondered if Atronia knew about their relationship yet.

"If your daughter has discovered her power, the Borgia will not only be after Ezio for thwarting the Pope and taking the Apple. They'll be after her, for that specific thing, her power." Niccoló answered for Volpe, "If you are to allow them to return, we must find a plan to keep her safe. Rodrigo and now Cesare will get her, somehow. And when they do, they will make her suffer until she uses her power against us."

The group was silent for a moment. Mario knew they were right. He needed to keep his daughter safe. "What do you suggest, Niccoló?" The scholar was taken aback Mario was cooperating, but he went with it.

"That would be a question for our thief friend here." he looked to Volpe, who nodded, telling them he would find something to do.

"I ride to Roma. I will see you when I get back." Mario left the room, leaving the two to think of some way to keep Atronia Auditore safe.

The streets of Rome were crowded, as expected. As were the roofs because every once and awhile, Leonardo da Vinci saw hooded figures leaping from top to top. He smiled, thinking of his best friend Ezio and of his wife, Atronia. Oh, Atronia, his love, his world. No one else could replace her. Every thought of her made him smile. It used to be he would be nervous and butterflies would flutter inside of him but not anymore. It had been a few years since he'd seen her, but that was expected since it was her job to travel and kill terrible men, and Leonardo understood. He still missed her every day.

Now, he only worried. He worried about what Atronia would think of him once she found out he was working for the Borgia. The inventor had fashioned a gun, just for Cesare's right hand Frenchman. Not as if he could help working for the cruelest people in Rome, they would obviously kill him if he denied.

As he walked through his new home of Rome, he noticed how beautiful the city was. He'd only just moved from Venice and even though his situation was somewhat horrible, the city was simply gorgeous. Smiling, he thought of what it would be like if his friends were here. He knew one day, they'd all be living in peace together, but that day would be far off…

His thoughts were interrupted by being violently shoved to the ground. A few of his scrolls were sent flying across the pavement. He sat up and moved his beret off of his face, half expecting to see Atronia after the many times they'd met like that. He was mistaken. However, it was an assassin.

"Oh my goodness!" the assassin exclaimed. It was a female, maybe around the age of 13 to 14, clearly in training. She scrambled to her feet and offered a hand to the engineer, "I am so sorry, messere!" Leonardo reached up and grabbed the young girl's hand. With impressive strength, she lifted him to his feet.

"Ha, no problems. I've run into people in the streets a time or two before." he replaced his hat then looked down at the girl and froze. He began to notice extremely familiar features about this assassin, "Say, have we met before?"

"I don't believe so, messere. I would've remembered meeting a man as peculiar as yourself." she laughed, handing him his scrolls. "If you ever need me again though, my name is Alessa," Why was she telling him her name? They had just met. "Alessa Auditore. I'm sure if you ask around, you'll find me." she smiled. Leonardo's stomach did a full on somersault. He stumbled back a little.

"Messere?"

"A-Auditore?" he attempted to act natural again.

"Sí… do you know an Auditore?" she asked, studying him as if regretting running into him.

"I do, yes." he glanced nervously around to see if any of Borgia's guards were watching, "Ezio and I are very good friends."

"You know my uncle?" she smiled again, bigger this time. He nodded. "Wow, that's great! You must know my mother, Atronia!" Leonardo stared at her. His heart skipped a beat, having trouble staying on his feet.

"I…" he hesitated. Her eyes, they were his. Leonardo turned, leaning a hand against a wooden pole. He remembered Atronia telling him he had the most beautiful blue eyes. He stuttered again, "I must go. It was nice to meet you, Alessa."

"Messere! You didn't tell me your name!" Leonardo hurried away from the confused girl then sprinted the rest of the way to his house. He slammed the door, breathing heavily. He removed his beret and stared straight forward, trying to understand who he had just seen.

 _Did I just meet my daughter?_

I told you all it wouldn't be long! :) No matter, I am very emotional right now. A lot of you guys haven't been following me for a super long time, and just so you know, I started this story before it's original release date on this site. I've been working on this story for about three to four years. It took that long for two reasons. One, I am a crazy procrastinator. Two, there were many points in writing this where I was low in inspiration and confidence. Disclaimer: I'm a noob (like the noobiest noob) when I say what I'm gonna say next. Posting on this site has made my confidence skyrocket and you all have supported me a lot by simply clicking that 'Favorite', 'Follow' or 'Review' button.

Thanks for bothering to stick around for this thingy I worked so long to finish.

Until next story, Melvick out. -melvick462


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